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DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Barack Obama will win the Iowa Democratic caucus, CNN projects, based on early results.
UPDATE: Video from MSNBC:
UPDATE II: LA Times:
The news agency also projected Obama as the winner over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. Clinton and Edwards were running neck and neck for second place.
UPDATE III: AP:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Sen. Barack Obama, bidding to become the nation's first black president, captured the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, opening test in the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination... Obama, 46 and a first-term senator from Illinois, eased past a high-powered field that included Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the former first lady, and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Sen. Barack Obama, bidding to become the nation's first black president, captured the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, opening test in the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination...
Obama, 46 and a first-term senator from Illinois, eased past a high-powered field that included Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the former first lady, and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee.
UPDATE IV: ABC News "Obama emerges victorious in Iowa:
ABC News projects that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will be the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses. At this point ABC News does not have enough information yet to project who will come in second or third. Over the last year in Iowa leading up to today's caucus, Obama's hope-infused rhetoric of a political fresh start went head-to-head with Clinton's message, built on a foundation of strength, experience and electability. The two themes have been at loggerheads among Democratic voters in the Hawkeye state; though increasingly experience and electability gave way to idea of change and a new direction.
ABC News projects that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will be the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses. At this point ABC News does not have enough information yet to project who will come in second or third.
Over the last year in Iowa leading up to today's caucus, Obama's hope-infused rhetoric of a political fresh start went head-to-head with Clinton's message, built on a foundation of strength, experience and electability. The two themes have been at loggerheads among Democratic voters in the Hawkeye state; though increasingly experience and electability gave way to idea of change and a new direction.
UPDATE V: Washington Post:
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) secured victory in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, a stunning affirmation of his message of change and a stinging setback to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) -- the long time national frontrunner. Clinton called Obama to concede.With nearly 1,500 of the state's 1,781 precincts reporting their results, Obama led with 35 percent of the votes followed by former senator John Edwards and Clinton, both with 30 percent.A large number of news media outlets have declared Obama the winner and his campaign was estimating that turnout surged above 200,000 -- a massive increase from the roughly 125,000 Democrats who participated in 2004.
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) secured victory in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, a stunning affirmation of his message of change and a stinging setback to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) -- the long time national frontrunner. Clinton called Obama to concede.
With nearly 1,500 of the state's 1,781 precincts reporting their results, Obama led with 35 percent of the votes followed by former senator John Edwards and Clinton, both with 30 percent.
A large number of news media outlets have declared Obama the winner and his campaign was estimating that turnout surged above 200,000 -- a massive increase from the roughly 125,000 Democrats who participated in 2004.
UPDATE VI: New York Times:
UPDATE VII: CNN:
UPDATE VIII: MSNBC David Gregory on Obama's win:
UPDATE IX: Washington Post The Trail:
When the networks called the race, Barack Obama supporters had just started to trickle into the downtown arena that the campaign had booked for caucus night, and they reacted with both shock and glee as the returns rolled in. Senior Obama advisor David Axelrod said the most surprising thing was the turnout. "These were numbers you'd expect almost in a primary," he said. "The prodigious turnout was breathtaking, and it eclipsed anything I heard predicted. It's just fabulous to see people engaged in this way." One crucial group, he said: young voters. "Younger voters participated in far greater numbers than ever before," said Axelrod as he studied the screen of his Blackberry, still appearing somewhat stunned at the returns.
When the networks called the race, Barack Obama supporters had just started to trickle into the downtown arena that the campaign had booked for caucus night, and they reacted with both shock and glee as the returns rolled in. Senior Obama advisor David Axelrod said the most surprising thing was the turnout.
"These were numbers you'd expect almost in a primary," he said. "The prodigious turnout was breathtaking, and it eclipsed anything I heard predicted. It's just fabulous to see people engaged in this way." One crucial group, he said: young voters. "Younger voters participated in far greater numbers than ever before," said Axelrod as he studied the screen of his Blackberry, still appearing somewhat stunned at the returns.
UPDATE X: CBS News:
Entrance polls of Democratic caucus attendees also confirm some expectations for the evening - Clinton starts the night with strong support among women, and Obama is showing strength among young attendees."Young and first-time voters delivered for Obama as his campaign predicted and change was the number one concern of over half of Democratic caucus goers, creating the conditions for his victory," Ververs added. "His campaign now heads to New Hampshire with momentum, a state loaded with Independent voters who can now visualize him as a winner."
UPDATE XI: MSNBC:
DES MOINES, Iowa - Sen. Barack Obama, campaigning to be the first black president in American history, won the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, turning back rivals Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in the opening test of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination...Obama, 46, and a first-term senator from Illinois, and Clinton each had sought to make history, he the most viable black presidential candidate in history, she a former first lady bidding to become the first female commander in chief.
DES MOINES, Iowa - Sen. Barack Obama, campaigning to be the first black president in American history, won the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, turning back rivals Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in the opening test of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination...
Obama, 46, and a first-term senator from Illinois, and Clinton each had sought to make history, he the most viable black presidential candidate in history, she a former first lady bidding to become the first female commander in chief.
UPDATE XII: MSNBC "Heavy Turnout..."
The state party said later that with 93.5 percent of the precincts reporting, there had been a record 218,000 caucus participants."Linda Lohse-Lange, of West Des Moines, has been going to caucuses since 1976. She has been a state delegate for both parties, but she showed up Thursday night in a bright red hat adorned with buttons for Obama."I think it's very serious, more serious than in the past," Lohse-Lange said. "I was surprised the parking lot was so full. I had a hard time finding a place to park."
"Linda Lohse-Lange, of West Des Moines, has been going to caucuses since 1976. She has been a state delegate for both parties, but she showed up Thursday night in a bright red hat adorned with buttons for Obama."I think it's very serious, more serious than in the past," Lohse-Lange said. "I was surprised the parking lot was so full. I had a hard time finding a place to park."
UPDATE XIII: Chicago Tribune:
Fueled by record turnout among young and new voters, Sen. Barack Obama won an historic and convincing victory in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, a win that validated his status as a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He handily defeated both Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, ending any talk of Clinton as her party's presumptive favorite. The win propels Obama to New Hampshire with a strong wind behind him with only four days remaining before the first-in-the nation primary. A strong turnout from independent voters helped deliver the victory. Turnout surged for all Democrats, easily surpassing the 125,000 voters in the 2004 primary with only two-thirds of the vote counted. Obama's message of change clearly trumped Clinton's pitch about experience.
UPDATE XVI: CNN.com:
With such a close race on both sides, voter turnout was key. The Iowa Democratic Party reported seeing record turnout. The party said there were 218,000 caucus attendees with 93.5 percent of the precincts reporting.The Iowa Democratic Party said 124,000 people participated in the 2004 caucuses, while the Republican Party of Iowa estimated that 87,000 people took part in the 2000 caucuses. (President Bush ran unchallenged for a second term in 2004.) Photo See your pictures of the candidates in Iowa »Caucus-goer Kathy Barger, inside a Democratic caucus site in Walnut, Iowa, said the room she was in was packed to the brim with a line out the door."I don't know how they are going to be able to fit everybody in the room, much less count the votes," she said. "There are bodies in every available space in the room."
UPDATE XVII: CNN.com:
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — At Obama's caucus night headquarters in Des Moines, the hall is filling up with people — many young — screaming "We did it!" When they see returns on the big screen TVs ,the crowd bursts into spontaneous rounds of Obama's campaign chant: "Fired up — Ready to go!"Obama aides say returns show Obama did better than expected among seniors and in rural districts.The candidate himself seemed to be in a confident mood today. At a visit to a restaurant this afternoon he told diners "I feel good" or "We're doing great."
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — At Obama's caucus night headquarters in Des Moines, the hall is filling up with people — many young — screaming "We did it!" When they see returns on the big screen TVs ,the crowd bursts into spontaneous rounds of Obama's campaign chant: "Fired up — Ready to go!"
Obama aides say returns show Obama did better than expected among seniors and in rural districts.
The candidate himself seemed to be in a confident mood today. At a visit to a restaurant this afternoon he told diners "I feel good" or "We're doing great."
UPDATE XVIII: Donna Brazille on Obama's "momentum"...
UPDATE XIX: New York Times:
UPDATE XX: "The America we all want to live in"
UPDATE XXI: A breath of fresh air...
David Gregory on Obama's win:
UPDATE XXII: New York Times "The Women Vote":
DES MOINES — We just caught up with some numbers that you’ll want to see. Turns out Barack Obama did better among women than Hillary Rodham Clinton did.Overall, Mr. Obama won 35 percent of women, while Mrs. Clinton won 30 percent and Mr. Edwards 23 percent.
DES MOINES — We just caught up with some numbers that you’ll want to see. Turns out Barack Obama did better among women than Hillary Rodham Clinton did.
Overall, Mr. Obama won 35 percent of women, while Mrs. Clinton won 30 percent and Mr. Edwards 23 percent.
