Last update - 00:00 12/03/2008
Obama snags black vote in Mississippi, beating out Clinton
By Barak Ravid and Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
Democrat Barack Obama easily beat rival Hillary Clinton in Mississippi on Tuesday, giving him new momentum in their heated presidential fight as
they head to the next showdown in Pennsylvania in six weeks.
Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, rode a wave of heavy black support to victory and extended his lead over Clinton in pledged delegates to the August nominating convention. The Illinois senator also won on Saturday in Wyoming.
Obama also finished first in the Texas Democratic caucuses, where there are both primaries and caucuses. The caucuses were held last week, but the race was not called until Tuesday night.
Obama will get more delegates out of the state than Clinton, despite the fact that she who won the state's primaries, prolonging their bitter Democratic fight for the right to face Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.
"What we have tried to do is steadily make sure that in each state we are making the case about the need for change in this country, and obviously the people of Mississippi responded," Obama said in an interview on CNN.
Clinton did not speak publicly after the result, but her campaign manager, Maggie Williams, released a statement thanking the New York senator's supporters in Mississippi.
"Now we look forward to campaigning in Pennsylvania and around the country as this campaign continues," Williams said.
Both candidates were already in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, looking ahead to its April 22 contest that has 158 delegates at stake - the biggest single-state haul remaining in the race for the nomination.
Exit polls in Mississippi showed Obama won about 90 percent of black voters, who were expected to make up about half of the state's Democratic primary electorate, and continued to hold big leads among young voters.
Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, retained her advantage with older voters, exit polls showed. The two candidates have developed consistent bases of support within the Democratic Party.
Obama's win in Mississippi will add to his nearly insurmountable lead over Clinton in the pledged delegates who will help decide the nominee. Mississippi has 33 pledged delegates at stake.
But neither Obama nor Clinton is likely to reach the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the nomination without help from nearly 800 "superdelegates" - party officials and insiders free to back any candidate.
The states of Michigan and Florida, which were stripped of their delegates in a dispute with the national party and held unsanctioned contests won by Clinton, also could figure in a final resolution of the tight race.
Officials in both states have discussed redoing their contests so they would produce delegates to the convention, but the candidates, the state parties and national party would have to agree on the timing, funding and formats.
Clinton, who has repeatedly criticized Obama for failing to live up to his rhetoric, told supporters in Pennsylvania her rival's promises were not matched by his actions.
"My opponent is here in Pennsylvania talking about energy policy and I think specifically about wind energy and that's great," Clinton said.
"Except in 2005, when we had a chance to say 'no' to Dick Cheney and his energy bill, my opponent said 'yes' and voted for it with all of those tax subsidies," she said.
Livni to Obama: There is a direct link between Iran and terror
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday reiterated for United States presidential hopeful Barack Obama Israel's position on the negative influence of Iran on the region.
"In the Middle East, there is a direct connection between terror and Iran. This requires the determined and firm steadfastness of the international community against terror and against Iran," Livni told the Democratic senator, who had called the foreign minister ahead of her upcoming visit to Washington.
For his part, Obama referred to last Thursday's shooting attack at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, where a Palestinian gunman killed eight students, and extended his condolences to the Israeli people. He voiced his belief that despite the attack, Israel must continue in peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The foreign minister also discussed with Obama the situation in Gaza, and explained that the difficult security circumstances in the coastal strip are directly linked to arms smuggling from Sinai. Livni told the Illinois senator that many Israeli citizens live under the threat of Hamas rocket fire.
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