“I felt my skin tingle, my heart grow full, and I had tears in my eyes, as I watched Barack Obama inspire that large crowd in Minnesota as they acknowledged his victory as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. What history! I am so proud to be American today,” said Sallie Kructhner, a white Tamarac senior citizen commenting to National Weekly on Barack Obama’s historical victory in the Democratic primary race on Tuesday. “It is a defining moment in America’s history,” she concluded.

At 10:06 p.m. on Tuesday, minutes after winning the Montana primary, Obama took the stage in St. Paul, Minnesota before thousands of cheering supporters and declared. "Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States." As the crowd responded in wild enthusiasm and Obama stood tall absorbing the adulation. Like Krutchner said, one could feel the emotion of the historical moment.
Barack Obama has done what many, including Blacks nationally and in South Florida, just a year ago, thought was impossible. He took on the powerful Clinton machine and won. His victory is more profound, historically, because it is the first time an African-American will represent a major political party in America as its presidential nominee.

It was said that America would never support an African-American for president, but a coalition of African-Americans, young and college-educated white people, Jews, Native Americans, Asians, and Hispanics across America have coalesced to ensure his nomination, which is being hailed internationally, especially in Kenya, where his father was born.

Obama, 46, the son of an African father and a white American mother is a first term U.S. senator from Illinois. After running an impressive primary campaign he is now poised to campaign for the presidency against Republican, Senator John McCain, 71, a war hero.
His historic win from the first Democratic primary in Iowa to the last one in Montana and 33 of 54 in between, gained from up to press time, 2,187.5 delegates, 211 delegates more than Clinton who won 1,927, giving Obama 69.5 delegates over the required target of 2,118.

Obama’s win in Iowa, among eight Democratic contenders, took the nation by surprise and this victory was also described as a “defining moment” in America’s history. Some of his supporters wavered when he lost the New Hampshire and Nevada primaries in succession, albeit by very small margins. Then he rebounded to win convincingly on January 26 in South Carolina, although President Bill Clinton appeared unimpressed with this victory, comparing it to Jesse Jackson’s sole primary victory in a previous presidential campaign. The Clintons were convinced that they would win the nomination a few days later on “Super Tuesday,” February 5, securing the then required 2025 delegates. However, Obama shocked the Clinton campaign and the nation’s political pundits when they won 14 of the 24 contests that day, emerging as a very serious contender for the nomination.

In fact, February 2008, belonged to Barack Obama. He won all the primaries held that month, building a strong lead in pledged delegates. Although Clinton made a resurgent from March to June 3, winning several states including Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, he was still able to gain sufficient delegates so that he could not be overtaken. When on May 6 he won North Carolina and lost Indiana in a tight finish, two states that Clinton hoped to win convincingly, it was obvious that Obama would be the nominee.

Although he’s African American, Obama has conducted a campaign in which he has tried to avoid running as the “Black” candidate, reaching out to all races, and has made a real effort to be multiracial. When confronted with criticisms about racist and unpatriotic remarks made by his former pastor, he gave a speech challenging Americans to take a closer look at race relations. He has consistently delivered a message of change, hope and unity. As an African-American he has reached impressive milestones, including being the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, and only the third African-American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Now he is the first Black person to represent a major American party for the presidency of the United States.

Despite Obama’s convincing victory, Hilliary Clinton first refused to concede victory giving rise to questions as to her intentions, and whether she is trying to broker her way on to the ticket as Vice President. A South Florida Democratic delegate, on condition of annonymity told National Weekly, “Hillary is making it bad for herself and the party. Whatever we may want, Obama has won sufficient delegates to be the nominee, and that must be accepted. She may want to be his running mate but by not conceding on Tuesday, this could now be difficult.”

Clinton has since released a statement saying she will concede and throw her support behind the presumptive democratic nominee on Saturday.