Obama tops Clinton in Wisconsin

Barack Obama won the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday night, his ninth straight victory over rival Hilary Clinton in the tight race for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination.

The victory was declared by major American television networks and the Associated Press shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET. With the votes counted in more than 80 per cent of the state's precincts, Obama was winning 58 per cent of the vote, to 41 per cent for Clinton.

"I am grateful to the people of Wisconsin for their friendship and support and their extraordinary civic pride," Obama told a crowd of about 20,000 people in Houston, Texas, shortly after the results were made public.

On the Republican side, Arizona Senator John McCain cruised to an easy victory in the state. He also snagged a victory in the Republican primary in Washington.

Opinion polls had suggested Clinton, a senator from New York, and Obama, a senator from Illinois, were in a dead heat for Wisconsin's 74 delegates. Voter turnout for the primary was heavy despite freezing weather in the state.

The Democratic rivals entered Tuesday's contests closely divided in the hunt for the 2,025 delegates needed for the nomination: 1,281 for Obama and 1,218 for Clinton. The winner will be declared at the party's convention in Denver in August.

"The change we seek is still months and miles away," Obama said Tuesday night.

According to interviews done at polling stations, Obama appears to have won the support of about half of white women voters in Wisconsin and many of the working class voters.

The economy and trade were key issues in the race, with seven in 10 voters saying international trade has resulted in lost jobs in Wisconsin.  

Clinton, a former first lady, made no mention of her defeat while speaking at a rally in Ohio on Tuesday night, and showed no sign of surrender. She instead addressed the fact that both she and Obama are looking to make history in the presidential race — she vying to be the first woman U.S. president, and he aiming to be the first black U.S. president.

"Both Senator Obama and I would make history," the former first lady said in Youngstown. "But only one of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief, ready to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the Republicans.

"Only one of us has spent 35 years being a doer, a fighter and a champion for those who need a voice."

McCain thanks Wisconsin supporters

McCain was declared the winner in Wisconsin and Washington on Tuesday night, feeling little challenge from his main rival, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

The victories have all but sewn up the nomination for McCain, a Vietnam war veteran who was backed by former U.S. president George H.W. Bush on Monday.

"Thank you, Wisconsin, for bringing us to the point where even a superstitious naval aviator can claim with confidence and humility that I will be our party's nominee for president of the United States," McCain told supporters after watching the Wisconsin results in Ohio.

McCain is strongest candidate left in the Republican race, which has seen high profile candidates drop out, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

Romney, who bowed out Feb. 7, is supporting McCain and has urged his 280 delegates to do the same.

McCain needs 1,191 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination at the party convention in Minnesota next summer.

Democrats held their caucuses in Washington earlier this month, with Obama clenching the victory in the state.

Hawaii next

Hawaii also held a Democratic primary Tuesday and Obama, who was born and raised in Hawaii, was heavily favoured to take its 20 delegates. Results aren't expected until early Wednesday.

Neither candidate travelled to Hawaii to campaign, although Clinton sent her daughter, Chelsea. The two frontrunners have turned their attention to the March 4 primaries in the vote-rich states of Ohio and Texas. Clinton travelled to Ohio on Monday, while Obama left for Texas on Tuesday.

Washington state also held a Republican primary Tuesday, but results were still pending Tuesday night.

Plagiarism allegations

Clinton and Obama sparred this week over allegations from Clinton's team that Obama plagiarized a recent speech, the latest effort by her campaign to undermine the Illinois senator's credibility.

Clinton advisers on Monday alleged Obama used excerpts from a speech given by his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

"If your whole candidacy is about words, those words should be your own," Clinton told reporters Monday evening. "That's what I think."

Obama has shrugged off the allegations, saying Clinton has occasionally borrowed language from his campaign.

"I really don't think this is too big of a deal," Obama said at a news conference. "When Senator Clinton says, 'It's time to turn the page' in one of her stump speeches or says she's 'fired up and ready to go,' I don't think that anybody suggests that she's not focused on the issues that she's focused on."

Gov. Patrick on Tuesday backed Obama during an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America.

"I think it's a sad comment on the state of the race and the state of our politics that the Clinton campaign is taking this particular tack," said Patrick.

Candidates discuss Castro

Obama, Clinton and McCain also spoke out on Fidel Castro's resignation Tuesday, with all three saying Washington should encourage democratic reforms in Cuba.

Obama said the resignation "should mark the end of a dark era in Cuba's history," but added it is only a small first step that's "sadly insufficient in bringing freedom to Cuba."

Clinton called on countries around the world "to push Cuba now to join the community of nations and become a democracy."

McCain urged Cuban leaders to "release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labour unions and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections."