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Obama sweeps East Coast contests

US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama greets supporters at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. PHOTO: REUTERS

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's three decisive wins over rival Hillary Clinton propelled him yesterday into the next round of presidential contests on a wave of momentum and sent her scrambling to find an answer.

Obama and Republican front-runner John McCain cruised to victories in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC on Tuesday.

Obama extended his hot streak to eight consecutive wins over Clinton in a hard-fought presidential campaign that appears to be tipping his way. The victories allowed Obama to expand his lead in pledged convention delegates, who will select the Democratic Party's nominee at its August convention.

"This is the new American majority," Obama told supporters in Madison, Wisconsin, where the next showdown occurs in a week.

Clinton, whose deputy campaign manager resigned in her latest staff shake-up, was already counting on contests in Ohio and Texas in three weeks as her best hope to stop Obama's surge.

All three of Obama's wins on Tuesday occurred in fertile territory for him, featuring large populations of the highly educated, high-income and black voters who have favored the Illinois senator.

But exit polls indicated he has also dramatically cut into Clinton's core groups. Obama led among women, Hispanics, seniors and in every income and education level in Virginia and split the white vote.

Obama relished the symbolism of winning in the US capital, although that race was never in doubt and its stakes were small.

"Though we won in Washington, DC, this movement won't stop until there's change in Washington, DC," he said.
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