HARTFORD, Conn.—Barack Obama's upset win in Connecticut over Sen. Hillary Clinton shows the one-time frontrunner is vulnerable and will help power Obama's campaign through the next round of primaries, his supporters said.
"The momentum is with Sen. Obama, in state after state. Even the states Hillary Clinton won, we have seen huge leads evaporate and we've seen strong surges by Sen. Obama," said state Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr., co-chairman of Obama's campaign in Connecticut.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Obama garnered 51 percent of the vote to Clinton's 47 percent.
His win comes in a state long thought to be a Clinton stronghold. Clinton held a double-digit lead in polls of likely voters in January, but Obama closed the gap as the once-crowded Democratic field narrowed to two. Connecticut senior Sen. Chris Dodd was among those who dropped out and opted not to endorse a candidate for Tuesday's primary election.
The closeness of the race was underscored in the final days of the campaign when Clinton made two visits, including a stop Monday at Yale University, where she attended law school. That evening, Obama drew more than 15,000 to a packed rally at the XL Center in Hartford, highlighting the growing enthusiasm in Connecticut for the Illinois senator.
Supporters waited for hours, standing in lines that wrapped around the former Hartford Civic Center. Many said they've been moved by Obama's message of change and inclusiveness.
Both candidates were competing for 48 delegates to the Democratic national convention, a tiny fraction of the 2,025 needed to clinch the party's nomination. They will be divided between the candidates based on the final results. Among Connecticut's 12 super delegates, top state party officials who get an automatic vote at the national convention, Obama currently holds the advantage.
"The fact is, the numbers are really close so the delegates should be split, almost evenly," said State Comptroller Nancy Wyman, a Clinton supporter. "We would have loved to have won, but we're going from here to Denver, to the White House."
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said the record turnout would exceed 50 percent. The previous record was 43.3 percent turnout for the 2006 Democratic Senate primary between Sen. Joe Lieberman and challenger Ned Lamont.
"It's a close call," said psychology professor Tony Lemieux, 32, who voted for Obama on Tuesday morning in Milford. "My wife voted for Hillary. We're splitting the delegates, at least in our house."
The split was reflected at the highest levels of Connecticut government. Democratic U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson and Chris Murphy backed Obama, while Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Wyman stumped for Clinton.
In Glastonbury, Milly Dainty, 86, voted for Clinton in part because of her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Also, she said it felt good to vote for a woman.
"She has her own knowledge and the knowledge of her husband as well," Dainty said.
But Windsor resident and physical education teacher Mark Champlin, 58, has had enough of the Clintons and voted for Obama.
"I think he's good for change," Champlin said. "I think he'll keep his word. Maybe we need some new blood instead of Bush-Bush-Clinton-Clinton."
Obama is vying to become the first black candidate to win the nomination of a major U.S. political party; Clinton is hoping to become the first woman to do so.
