Obama wins North Carolina, Stuns Clinton in Indiana

In a dramatic, down-to-the-wire election night, Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic primary in North Carolina on Tuesday, 56 percent to 42 percent, and nearly pulled off an upset victory in Indiana.

Obama won a 14-point victory in the Tarheel state and narrowed the gap with Clinton in Indiana to a virtual dead heat that kept television news anchors up until the early hours of the morning.

Obama won North Carolina by more than 220,000 votes, erasing all of Senator Clinton's gains from Pennsylvania two weeks before.

In contrast, Clinton was unable to win a major victory in Indiana that would have given her campaign much needed momentum. With 99 percent of the precincts counted, Clinton led by just over 20,000 votes.

Obama's North Carolina win alone kept him in the lead for the popular vote, even if disputed votes in Florida and Michigan are counted, according to MSNBC analyst Chuck Todd.

Obama Tries To Defines The Race 

In his victory speech in North Carolina Tuesday night, Obama congratulated Senator Clinton on "her victory" in Indiana, but also turned around her campaign's own words and expectations that she might pull off an upset that would essentially change the playing field.

"You know, some were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election.  But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, DC," Obama said. 

Obama also used his speech to resist the Clinton campaign's efforts to change the goal posts for the nomination. "Tonight we stand less than two hundred delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States," the Illinois senator said. The Clinton camp has argued in recent days that it takes more than 2200 delegates to win the nomination instead of the 2,025 number that everyone else had been using. The Clinton camp got to its number by adding Florida and Michigan.

Obama's tone seemed to indicate that he planned to run a respectful campaign against McCain, but he criticized the Arizona senator nonetheless. "While I honor John McCain's service to his country, his ideas for America are out of touch," Obama said, labeling McCain's plans as "nothing more than the failed policies of the past."

He also seemed to challenge McCain to run a respectful campaign of his own that focused on the issues instead of what he called the "same efforts to distract us from the issues."

Clinton and Obama Strike Conciliatory Tones

Both Obama and Clinton took time in their speeches to try to heal the wounds left in the party after more than 15 months of fighting. "This has been one of the longest, most closely fought contests in history," Obama said. He praised Clinton as a "formidable opponent" and challenged pundits who he said "have suggested that this party is inalterably divided."

"I'm here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it," Obama said. "Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides.  Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win.  But ultimately, this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain.  This election is about you - the American people - and whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future."      

Obama said that Democrats intend to "march forward" in the fall campaign as one united party and took a swipe at Senator John McCain, attempting to define his Republican rival as a successor to George Bush's legacy. "We can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term," Obama said. 

For her part, Senator Clinton began her speech by ribbing Senator Obama about a prediction he made before the Pennsylvania primary that Clinton would win Pennsylvania and he would win North Carolina, leaving Indiana as a tie breaker. "Tonight we've come from behind, we've broken the tie, and thanks to you it's full speed on to the White House," Clinton said.

Despite the early jab, Clinton struck a positive tone throughout most of her speech, never once criticizing Obama directly. Speaking well before most of the major networks called the election, Senator Clinton said that her campaign had been outspent by Obama but still managed to win in Indiana. As she did after her win in Pennsylvania, Clinton also used her speech to make a direct appeal for cash, asking voters to go her web site to contribute to her campaign.

In what some observers called a "valedictory" speech, Clinton vowed that she "would work for the nominee" of the Democratic Party "no matter what happens," but she also pledged to continue fighting through upcoming contests in West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon and promised to "work my heart out" in those states.

Economy Was Top Issue 

The economy was the number one issue for Democratic primary voters in Indiana and North Carolina. Two-thirds of voters in Indiana and almost as many in North Carolina listed the economy as the most important issue, according to exit polls reported by the Associated Press this afternoon. That was higher than all the previous primaries and caucuses so far, according to AP.

Despite the controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright, exit poll numbers showed that an unusually large percentage of voters made up their minds more than a week ago, suggesting they may not have changed their minds in light of the controversy.

More than 60 percent of voters said they would be satisfied with either Clinton or Obama at the top of the ticket, according to ABC News.

CBS Calls Indiana Early

CBS News called the Indiana primary for Hillary Clinton at 8:09 p.m., while the other networks said it was still "too close to call," according to media reports.

ABC, NBC, Fox and CNN still had not called the Indiana primary for either candidate as of midnight Tuesday evening. Shortly before midnight, NBC reported that Clinton's 40,000 vote lead in the Hoosier state had shrunk to fewer than 20,000 votes as poll watchers waited for returns from Lake County.

NBC finally called the race for Clinton at 1:09 a.m. CNN followed a few minutes later at 1:12 a.m.