Obama makes clean sweep of weekend primaries

Self-proclaimed underdog Barack Obama won Democratic contests in Louisiana, Washington state and Nebraska early today in a clean sweep of the latest battles in the race to the White House.

The Illinois senator, who is hoping to become the first black US president, beat Hillary Clinton, who is hoping to be the first woman, in all three contests.

But the close race continues – Mr Obama was always expected to do well in states which hold caucuses (Nebraska and Washington), states with well-educated, well-off voters (Washington) and those with a large black population (Louisiana), while Mrs Clinton hopes for successes later in Texas and Ohio on March 4.

Looking ahead to November’s general election, Mr Obama said he would perform better than Mrs Clinton against the Republican party’s presumptive nominee John McCain “because I have done better among independents in almost every single contest we’ve had”.

He said both he and Mrs Clinton promised “a different kind of politics” for America and added: “We are going to be unified as Democrats, whoever the nominee, to make sure that we bring an end to the failed policies of George W Bush. That we can guarantee.”

To applause, he said Mr McCain was a “good man and a genuine American hero” and added: “But understand that in this campaign, this year, he has made the decision to embrace the failed policies of George Bush’s Washington.”

He said the wheels had “fallen off” Mr McCain’s Straight-Talk Express – the name of the Republican’s campaign bus.

Speaking to Democrats at the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner in Richmond, Virginia - which goes to the polls on Tuesday – the Illinois senator said that when he started his campaign he knew he “wouldn’t necessarily be Washington’s favourite candidate”.

“I knew we wouldn’t get all the big donors, or all the endorsements right off the bat,” he said.

“I knew that I’d be the underdog in every contest from January to June. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But then some things started to happen.”

To cheers for the crowd, he referred to the campaign trail and the significant financial support for his campaign from the American people.

He said Americans were “tired of being disappointed by our politics” and wanted change.

“In this election, at this moment, Americans are standing up all across the country to say ’Not this time’, ’Not this year’, the stakes are too high and the challenges are too great, to play the same old games with the same old Washington players and expect a different result,” he said.

“People want to turn the page, they want to write a new chapter in American history.

“And today the voters from the west coast, to the Gulf coast, to the heart of America stood up to say, ’Yes we can’.

“We won in Louisiana, we won in Washington, we won in Nebraska. We won north, we won south, we won in between.

“And I believe we can win in Virginia on Tuesday if you’re ready to stand for change.”

As he delivered his message of hope, he said it was hope that led American patriots to declare independence “from the mighty British empire” and said hope was needed in 2008.

“This is our moment, this is our time,” he said.

“You and I together, we will transform this country and we will transform the world.”

Earlier, Mrs Clinton told the same crowd: “Let me ask you for a moment to imagine it is finally January 20 2009.

“Someone standing on the steps of the Capitol will place his or her hand on the Bible and be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

“Our task tonight is to make sure that president is a Democrat. ”Because after seven long years of George W Bush, seven years of incompetence, corruption and cronyism, seven years of government of the few, by the few, and for the few, the next president will face tremendous challenges.

“As the president walks in to the Oval Office, waiting there will be two wars, an economy in trouble, the healthcare crisis, the energy crisis, all of the problems that I hear about everyday from people across America.”

In a memo to reporters, a Clinton campaign spokesman defended the former First Lady’s performance in Saturday’s contests and said: “The Obama campaign has dramatically outspent our campaign in these three states, saturating the airwaves with 30 and 60-second ads.

“Although the next several states that hold nominating contests this month are more favourable to the Obama campaign, we will continue to compete in them and hope to secure as many delegates as we can before the race turns to Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.”

In the Republican contest, Mr McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war and Arizona senator, became the party’s presumptive nominee when his closest rival Mitt Romney pulled out of the race after disappointing results in the Super Tuesday elections.

Former Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, who continues to battle on, won Kansas, receiving 60% of the votes compared with 24% for Mr McCain, highlighting the divisions within the party.

But in the race to get 1,191 delegates, who officially choose the party’s nominee at this summer’s convention, Mr McCain is so far ahead – with an estimated 714 to Mr Huckabee’s 217 – he is unlikely to be beaten.