BARACK Obama moved slightly closer to gaining the US Democratic Party's presidential nomination today with a convincing win in one of the last primary elections of the season.
The Illinois senator beat rival Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, with 56% of the vote to 42%, and also fought an extremely tight race in Indiana, where the former first lady clinched the win, 51% to 49%, earning a 22,000-vote margin of victory out of more than 1.2 million cast.
Mr Obama's strong performance in last night's key contests will expand his lead among the delegates who will choose the party's nominee in August and it makes a Clinton comeback increasingly unlikely. Media reports in America estimate Mr Obama won at least 94 delegates and Mrs Clinton at least 75 in the two states combined, with 18 delegates still to be awarded.
Whilst overall figures vary from different sources, one US broadcaster, MSNBC, has Mr Obama leading Mrs Clinton in the delegate count - 1,876 to 1,729. A total of 2,025 delegates are required to win the nomination but neither candidate is expected to garner enough delegates from the few remaining primaries to earn the bid before the national convention this summer.
Mrs Clinton, the senator from New York state, will stay in the race for now, but a number of US pundits predicted the end for her campaign was near.
In a patriotic speech in North Carolina, Mr Obama hailed his success as a victory over the "politics of division and the politics of distraction" and challenged perceptions that the prolonged battle between the two Democrats will damage the party's chances against Republican John McCain in November's general election.
He said many observers had suggested the party was divided, that Mrs Clinton's supporters would not back him, and that his supporters would not back her.
"I don't believe it," Mr Obama responded. "Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win."
But he said the election was about the American people and "whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future".
Mr Obama also criticised Mr McCain's policies as "out of touch" with America's "core values" and said the Republican's plans were nothing more than "the failed policies of the past".
Last night's results will help Mr Obama persuade superdelegates that the controversy over his former pastor Rev Jeremiah Wright has not damaged his popularity and that he can win against Mr McCain in November's general election.
Mr Wright's assertion that Mr Obama secretly held his views, which include the claim that the US government invented the Aids virus, had seen Mr Obama's position weaken in the polls. Mr Obama recently branded Mr Wright's views as "divisive and destructive".
Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea at her side. Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty
Over in Indiana, Mrs Clinton vowed to fight on, appealed for funds to keep her presidential aspirations alive, and continued her campaign to count the votes of Florida and Michigan after the states were stripped of their delegates for breaking party rules.
But there was one moment towards the end of her speech, when she thanked her family for their support, in which she seemed to suggest the end was near.
But she immediately went on: "These next primaries are another test.
"I'm going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month and I intend to win them in November in the general election."
Mrs Clinton referred to Mr Obama's April prediction that out of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana, Indiana would be the "tie breaker" for the candidates.
"We've come from behind, we've broken the tie and thanks to you it's full speed on to the White House," she said.
Exit polls showed the economy was the top issue by far in both North Carolina and Indiana. They also showed Mr Obama won more than 90% of the African American vote in North Carolina, but he still struggled to win the support of white voters with no college degree, who are often key to the party's success.
The Democratic race now moves to West Virginia next Tuesday, where 28 delegates will be on offer, before contests in Oregon, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota conclude the primary season.
The full article contains 722 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
