By Brian Bohl
NEW YORK-Royal blue curtains adorned the stage of the grand ballroom where throngs of supporters for Sen. Hillary Clinton packed the Manhattan Center Studios on Tuesday night.
The standing-room only crowd cheered when it was announced that the Democratic frontrunner won her adopted home state of New York, besting Sen. Barack Obama 57 percent to 39 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
Clinton also recorded key victories in New Jersey, Tennessee, Arkansas and Massachusetts. Missouri was called for Clinton late Tuesday night, but the Associated Press switched the state to Obama at 2:48 a.m. Wednesday. She addressed her supporters just after 11:00 p.m., taking shots at her potential Republican rivals while congratulating Obama on his strong showing.
“Well, the Republicans want eight more years of the same,” Clinton said to wild cheers. “They see tax cuts for the wealthy and they say, Why not some more? They see nine trillion dollars in debt and say, why not trillions more? They see five years in Iraq and they say, why not a hundred more?
“Well, they’ve got until Jan. 20, 2009, and not one day more.”
According to an Associated Press count, Clinton now claims 1,045 delegates while Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has logged 960 delegates. To win the nomination at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Denver, a candidate needs 2,025 delegates.
When Clinton came to the podium joined by husband and former president Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea, the results for California were still unannounced. After the speech, Clinton was officially declared the winner, capturing a 9 percent victory with 96 percent of precincts reporting.
Obama shrugged off losses in California and New York, two states with a combined delegate total of 602. He won his home state by a large margin and also posted wins in Georgia, Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, Kansas and a resounding 34 percent triumph in Colorado.
“I also want to congratulate Senator Obama for his victories tonight,” Clinton said. “And I look forward to continuing our campaign and our debate about how to lead this country better off in the next generation.”