Obama beats Clinton in Iowa, Huckabee top Republican

Democrat Barack Obama triumphed in the first 2008 White House nominating contest yesterday. His victory deals a severe blow to Hillary Clinton's hopes and boosts his own chances of being the first black U.S. president. Obama beats Clinton in Iowa, Huckabee top Republican "We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America," Obama told a raucous, cheering crowd. Obama won with a strong 38 percent of the votes, compared to 30 percent for John Edwards and only 29 percent for Clinton. On the Republican side, ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee drubbed his top rival in the race Mitt Romney, 34 percent to 25 percent, casting serious doubt on the former Massachusetts governor's national viability. Obama's triumph vindicated the 46-year-old senator's soaring message of hope and political change even as it cast a long shadow over Clinton's aspirations to be the first woman president of the United States. "They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high," he said. "Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope." It confirmed Obama, son of a black Kenyan father and white American mother, as a real threat for the Democratic nomination, and raised doubts whether Clinton's message of experience and mastery of Washington politics will play with voters. The former first lady, who ended up in third place just behind former vice-presidential nominee Edwards, must halt the Obama bandwagon in Tuesday's primary in New Hampshire -- the state which revived her husband former president Bill Clinton's White House campaign in 1992. She insisted she was "optimistic" and keen to get on with a national campaign, as aides predicted a "marathon" battle for the Democratic nomination. "We have always planned to run a national campaign all the way through the early contests," Clinton said, flanked by her husband and other family members. "How will we win in November 2008? -- by nominating a candidate who will be able to go the distance and who will be the best president on day one," she said, alluding to Obama's purported inexperience. Democratic Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Biden meanwhile became the party's two big casualties Thursday night, both dropping out of the race after their poor showings. Huckabee, who rocketed into contention late in the Republican race after catching fire among crucial evangelical voters, had a surprisingly strong showing, considering he was outspent by millions of dollars and, until recently, had a very small staff. "Tonight, what we have seen is a new day in American politics," Huckabee told cheering supporters. "It starts here in Iowa, but it doesn't end here. It goes all the way through the other states and ends at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue one year from now," he said, citing the address of the White House. The result further splinters the Republican field, with other leading candidates like surging John McCain and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani lying in wait in bigger states further on in the nominating process. Romney said he would fight on. "I'm looking for the gold or the silver ... I'm going to continue battling and I will get the nomination. Congratulations to Mike and we'll go on to New Hampshire," Romney said on Fox News. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor from the same town -- Hope, Arkansas -- as Bill Clinton, now faces a stiff task in converting his support among the Christian right to a nationwide power base. Obama, still in only his first term in the U.S. Senate, appeared to have made good on his vow to pull young, idealistic supporters to the Democratic caucuses in record numbers. His top advisor David Axelrod said earlier that there was a huge turnout, with somewhere over 200,000 Democrats showing up. Clinton goes into the New Hampshire primary needing a convincing win in the northeastern state, where she has a clear but modest lead over Obama in the polls with Edwards trailing in third place. An average of New Hampshire polls by RealClearPolitics had Clinton with 34 percent to Obama's 27 percent and Edwards' 18. It has McCain at 31.3 percent on average, Romney at 28.8 percent, Giuliani at 10 and Huckabee at 9.5. The parties' champions are expected to be decided well before Democrats formally name theirs at an August 25-28 convention in Denver, Colorado and Republicans follow suit September 1-4 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After New Hampshire, a series of other primary battles lead to February 5, when more than 20 states vote. President George Bush, whose Iraq war-fueled unpopularity could be a drag on his party, has refused to anoint a chosen Republican successor but said he will do his utmost for the nominee.

Obama beats Clinton in Iowa, Huckabee top Republican

"We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America," Obama told a raucous, cheering crowd.

Obama won with a strong 38 percent of the votes, compared to 30 percent for John Edwards and only 29 percent for Clinton.

On the Republican side, ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee drubbed his top rival in the race Mitt Romney, 34 percent to 25 percent, casting serious doubt on the former Massachusetts governor's national viability.

Obama's triumph vindicated the 46-year-old senator's soaring message of hope and political change even as it cast a long shadow over Clinton's aspirations to be the first woman president of the United States.

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high," he said. "Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope."

It confirmed Obama, son of a black Kenyan father and white American mother, as a real threat for the Democratic nomination, and raised doubts whether Clinton's message of experience and mastery of Washington politics will play with voters.

The former first lady, who ended up in third place just behind former vice-presidential nominee Edwards, must halt the Obama bandwagon in Tuesday's primary in New Hampshire -- the state which revived her husband former president Bill Clinton's White House campaign in 1992.

She insisted she was "optimistic" and keen to get on with a national campaign, as aides predicted a "marathon" battle for the Democratic nomination.

"We have always planned to run a national campaign all the way through the early contests," Clinton said, flanked by her husband and other family members.

"How will we win in November 2008? -- by nominating a candidate who will be able to go the distance and who will be the best president on day one," she said, alluding to Obama's purported inexperience.

Democratic Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Biden meanwhile became the party's two big casualties Thursday night, both dropping out of the race after their poor showings.

Huckabee, who rocketed into contention late in the Republican race after catching fire among crucial evangelical voters, had a surprisingly strong showing, considering he was outspent by millions of dollars and, until recently, had a very small staff.

"Tonight, what we have seen is a new day in American politics," Huckabee told cheering supporters.

"It starts here in Iowa, but it doesn't end here. It goes all the way through the other states and ends at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue one year from now," he said, citing the address of the White House.

The result further splinters the Republican field, with other leading candidates like surging John McCain and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani lying in wait in bigger states further on in the nominating process.

Romney said he would fight on.

"I'm looking for the gold or the silver ... I'm going to continue battling and I will get the nomination. Congratulations to Mike and we'll go on to New Hampshire," Romney said on Fox News.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor from the same town -- Hope, Arkansas -- as Bill Clinton, now faces a stiff task in converting his support among the Christian right to a nationwide power base.

Obama, still in only his first term in the U.S. Senate, appeared to have made good on his vow to pull young, idealistic supporters to the Democratic caucuses in record numbers.

His top advisor David Axelrod said earlier that there was a huge turnout, with somewhere over 200,000 Democrats showing up.

Clinton goes into the New Hampshire primary needing a convincing win in the northeastern state, where she has a clear but modest lead over Obama in the polls with Edwards trailing in third place.

An average of New Hampshire polls by RealClearPolitics had Clinton with 34 percent to Obama's 27 percent and Edwards' 18. It has McCain at 31.3 percent on average, Romney at 28.8 percent, Giuliani at 10 and Huckabee at 9.5.

The parties' champions are expected to be decided well before Democrats formally name theirs at an August 25-28 convention in Denver, Colorado and Republicans follow suit September 1-4 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

After New Hampshire, a series of other primary battles lead to February 5, when more than 20 states vote.

President George Bush, whose Iraq war-fueled unpopularity could be a drag on his party, has refused to anoint a chosen Republican successor but said he will do his utmost for the nominee.