source:http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23206685-663,00.html
DEMOCRAT Barack Obama powered to an easy victory over Hillary Clinton in Virginia today,
It was the first of a trio of Washington-area nominating clashes expected to deal new blows to her White House hopes.
On the Republican side, US media projected that Senator John McCain will win the Virginia contest.
The win widens his lead over former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in the race to represent the party in the November election.
McCain is almost certain to win the Republican nomination due to his commanding lead, but Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, has continued to score victories in conservative areas of the country, showing the maverick Arizona senator still faces a sceptical party base.
Television network exit polls said Senator Obama – an Illinois senator – extended his appeal among young voters and African-Americans, and split the white vote with Senator Clinton.
More striking, exit polls showed that he took the vote among women – the former first lady's core constituency, by 58 per cent to 42 per cent.
Among those who put a priority on the economy, Senator Clinton's bread and butter issue, Senator Obama still came out on top 60 to 40 per cent.
Those who cared most about the Iraq war went 65 to 35 per cent for Senator Obama.
On the Republican side, the race between Senator John McCain and former Baptist minister Mike Huckabee in Virginia was deemed too close to call by the television networks.
Virginia had been seen as Senator Clinton's best shot at causing an upset and was the biggest prize up for grabs today with 83 Democratic delegates. Maryland had 70 on offer, and the US capital, a special federal district, 15.
Polls in Maryland and Washington meanwhile were due to close at 8pm (1200 AEDT), to conclude the latest twist in the compelling Democratic tussle between two candidates tilting at history.
Senator Obama, who aims to be the first US African-American president, is on a high after sweeping five nominating contests at the weekend to nudge ahead of Senator Clinton with his tally of convention delegates.
Senator Clinton, vying to become the first woman president, had hoped to confound polls suggesting three more defeats, as she tries to reignite her faltering challenge after ousting her campaign manager on Sunday.
She was already looking ahead, with a flurry of television interviews, including with stations in delegate-rich Ohio and Texas, which vote on March 4, and are now must-win contests for the former first lady.
Asked by a Cleveland, Ohio, station whether the mid-western state was a make-or-break encounter for her, Senator Clinton argued she had been written off before.
"I've been down this road before, before I won New Hampshire, nobody thought I would ... this is a close race, it's a long road to the nomination," she said.
New York Senator Clinton was due to hold a rally in Texas tonight, as results from the Washington-area primaries rolled in, while Senator Obama was in Wisconsin, which holds its primary contest on February 19.
In one symbolic boost today, Senator Clinton snapped up the endorsement of former Ohio senator and astronaut John Glenn.
"She has the strength and experience to take on the Republicans in November and win Ohio and the White House," Mr Glenn said.
Voters in the so-called Potomac Primary, for the river that passes through all three of today's jurisdictions, revelled in their newfound importance in the presidential race after nominating contests across more than half the country left the two senators in a dead heat.
"It feels a little more that something historical is happening this year," said real estate investor Brian Coulter, 48, at a polling place in Bethesda, Maryland.
Andrea Matney, 39, a special event manager who lives in Bethesda added: "this particular election feels particularly meaningful to me."
Senator Obama led Senator Clinton 1144 to 1138 in the running delegate count going into today's contests, according to website RealClearPolitics.com. A total of 2025 delegates are needed for the nomination.
The role of some 440 still undecided super-delegates – party luminaries who can choose to vote for either candidate – is now likely to be critical.
