Sen. Barack Obama claimed a significant victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, telling supporters “we are hungry for change.”
“Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina,” Obama said to supporters Saturday. A win in South Carolina was considered crucial for Obama, who won Iowa but finished second to Clinton in New Hampshire and Nevada.
“I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina,” he said.
“The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders,” Obama said. “It’s not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white.
“It’s about the past versus the future.”
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had 55 percent of the vote. Clinton was second with 27 percent, followed by Edwards, with 18 percent. Obama’s victory capped a heated contest in South Carolina, the first Democratic primary in the South and the first with a largely African-American electorate.
Obama, who is hoping to become the nation’s first African-American president, did well with black voters, who made up about half of Saturday’s electorate, according to exit polls.
Black voters supported the Illinois senator by a margin of more than 4-to-1 over his nearest rival, exit polls indicate.
Among white voters, Obama took about a quarter of the vote, with Clinton and Edwards roughly splitting the remainder, according to exit polls.
The Illinois senator earned more than twice the vote that rival Sen. Hillary Clinton did, 55 percent to 27 percent, unofficial returns showed.
Former Sen. John Edwards was third with 18 percent.
In related news, both Obama and Clinton are hosting events in Missouri today (Monday) as things heat up before Super Tuesday on February 5th.
Senator Claire McCaskill and former Senator Jean Carnahan are among those expected at a 2 p.m. news conference to rally support for Barack Obama at his campaign headquarters in downtown St. Louis. Representatives Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan also plan to attend.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Clinton will be at a Cape Girardeau business called the Grace Cafe at 7 p.m. It’s part of an effort by the campaign of her mother, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to appeal to young voters.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
