Barack Obama said he will take the momentum into Super Tuesday after handily winning the South Carolina Democratic primary.
“After four great contests, in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition of Americans that we’ve seen in a long, long time,” Obama (D-Ill.) said Saturday after outdistancing U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), 55-27 percent, in a primary that attracted a high voter turnout.
Obama and Clinton each have won two bellwether states in the campaign. Democratic hopefuls now look to Feb. 5, so-called Super Tuesday, when primaries and caucuses are held in 22 states.
Obama had stirred unease among some Jewish groups for emphasizing his Christian bona fides in the heavily church-going state. Obama staffers said in his defense that he was forced to make the point after a smear campaign depicting him as a secret Muslim.
John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, finished third in South Carolina. He had hoped to perform better in his native state in a bid to join Obama and Clinton among the Democratic front-runners.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
