(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-10 14:03

Easy wins

Obama cruised to easy wins in Nebraska and Washington, doubling Clinton's tally with more than 60 percent of the vote in partial returns, and he was comfortably ahead of Clinton in Louisiana.

Obama also won in the US territory of the Virgin Islands, which has three delegates to the nominating convention.

Clinton, a New York senator, and Obama, an Illinois senator, are about even in pledged delegates but well short of the 2,025 needed to win the nomination.

Democratic rules allocate delegates on a proportional basis statewide and in congressional districts, meaning even the loser in each state can win big blocks of delegates.

It was not immediately clear how the delegate count would break down in the three states, where a combined 158 convention delegates were at stake.

Obama, who would be the first black US president, had been the favorite in all three contests. In Louisiana, he had been expected to benefit from a high percentage of black voters, his strongest supporters.

Exit polls showed blacks made up about half of the turnout in the state on Saturday, and Obama won four of every five of their votes. Clinton captured about 70 percent of whites, with Obama taking about one-quarter of their vote.

The contests in Nebraska and Washington were caucuses, which require voters to turn out at specific times. Obama had focused on caucus states, which play to his strength by favoring strong organizations and grass-roots enthusiasm.

In the Republican race, McCain still faces widespread opposition from conservatives unhappy with his views on immigration, tax cuts and other issues. Huckabee's win in Kansas, one of the most reliably Republican states in the country, appeared to underscore McCain's problem.

Huckabee promised at a conference of conservative activists in Washington to continue his shoestring campaign at least until McCain clinched the nomination.

"I know that I won't drop out until at least that happens and then we'll see," he told reporters, denying he was hoping to become McCain's vice-presidential running mate.

Huckabee also shrugged off a call from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a McCain supporter, urging him to drop out.

"I did not major in math, but I majored in miracles, and I still believe in them," Huckabee said at a rally at the University of Maryland in College Park.

   1 2   

   1 2