Obama wins N.C. Democratic primary; Clinton barely takes Indiana

Published 11:03 pm Tuesday, May 6, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS — Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama swept to victory in the North Carolina presidential primary Tuesday night and lengthened his lead in the delegate race. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton took Indiana by a single percentage point.

Obama won 56 percent of the vote in North Carolina, a triumph that mirrored earlier wins in Southern states with large black populations, with Clinton taking 42 percent.

Overall, he won at least 94 delegates Tuesday, and Clinton at least 75, with 18 still to be awarded between the two states. Obama was 184.5 delegates shy of the 2,025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

That made Indiana a virtual must-win Midwestern state for the former first lady, hoping to counter Obama’s persistent delegate advantage with a strong run through the late primaries.

Returns from 99 percent of Indiana precincts showed Clinton with 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Obama.