The wave of momentum that carried Barack Obama to New Hampshire following his win in the Democratic Iowa Caucus now belongs to Hillary Clinton.
Clinton trailed Obama by double digits in most polls Tuesday, but won a close victory in the New Hampshire Primary.
Clinton said Obama’s “wave has crested,” following the surprise victory.
Obama said Wednesday that he remains confident and the race is far from over.
“I remain convinced that what the American people are looking for is somebody who is going to be able to rise above some of the petty politics that we’ve seen in the past and really focus on solving problems,” he said.
On Tuesday night, he told shocked supporters “We always knew our climb would be steep.
“We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember, no matter what obstacles stand in our way nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.”
Clinton’s win suddenly propels Missouri to vital importance on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.
Democratic candidates, including John Edwards who finished third in New Hampshire and has an uphill climb to win the nomination are focused on Nevada, which holds its primary on Jan. 19.
The South Carolina Primary, which will involve tens of thousands of black voters, is Jan. 26.
Congressman William Lacy Clay, who will be campaigning in South Carolina, said, “Senator Obama’s appeal is not just to African Americans but to all Americans.”
“His message of hope and positive change is connecting with Democrats and independents, and the results from Iowa and New Hampshire show that.”
Those states have populations that are more than 95 percent white. Clay said Obama’s showing “proves that he can win (the presidency.)
“African-American voters understand that now, and we will back him by huge margins in Missouri and all the other Super Tuesday states.”
Twenty-two states will hold primaries on Feb. 5.
Clinton prevailed 39 percent to 36 percent over Obama after trailing anywhere from five to 13 percent in polls late Monday. She was also trailing in CNN’s and other exit polls.
Women propelled Clinton to victory. More women voted than men in the Democratic Primary and supported Clinton by 13 percentage points more than Obama.
Fewer young voters turned out for Obama than in Iowa and Republican victor John McCain took many independent votes from him.
An Obama supporter said following Tuesday’s setback “people said they would do one thing and they did another.”
Obama picked up a powerful Nevada union endorsement Wednesday with leaders of the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Union, Local 226 announcing their support. The union claims 450,000 members and it is Obama’s first major national union endorsement.
He also picked up the endorsement of the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, which voted to endorse him Tuesday.
“I am still fired up and ready to go,” Obama said.
“All the candidates in this race have good ideas and all are patriots who serve this country honorably,” Obama said.
