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Barack Obama Wins Historic Election Victory

By Stephen Kaufman

On November 4, Americans elected Illinois Senator Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States.

Addressing supporters in Chicago November 4, the president-elect said, "To all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright, tonight we've proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."

Obama said that through their votes, Americans sent a message "that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America."

"A new dawn of American leadership is at hand," he said. "To those who would tear the world down, we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security, we support you."

As of early November 5, Obama had won at least 26 states and the District of Columbia with a total of 338 electoral votes, putting him well above the 270 needed to clinch the presidency. Results still were being reported from some states in the early hours of the day after Election Day.

Obama will become the first African-American president of the United States and also the first person of color to govern a country with a white majority.

The Illinois senator carried all the states won by Democrat John Kerry in 2004, as well as Ohio, Iowa, Florida, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Virginia - states previously carried by Republican George Bush.

In his concession speech from Phoenix, Senator John McCain said he had telephoned President-elect Obama to offer his congratulations. He recognized the significance of Obama's victory for African Americans and the "special pride that must be theirs tonight" following a long history of slavery, segregation and discrimination.

He said the United States is now "a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time," and "there is no better evidence of this" than Obama's election. He also pledged to support the incoming president and urged his supporters to offer their "good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together."

Obama's victory came after a long and difficult Democratic Party primary battle with New York Senator Hillary Clinton, followed by an intense general election campaign again McCain.

The 2008 U.S. presidential election was historic in a number of ways. After the field of Democratic Party candidates narrowed in early 2008, it was clear that voters would be choosing between the first female presidential nominee and the first African-American nominee.

On the Republican side, McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate marked only the second time a women has been on the ticket of a major political party.

OBAMA CLAIMS VICTORY

Early November 5, Obama and his running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, addressed cheering supporters in Chicago, and pledged to be the president of all Americans, regardless of whether they had given him support or not. Hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom arrived the day before, celebrated in Chicago's Grant Park.

Obama's rally was especially poignant given that 40 years ago the park was the site of the violent demonstrations aimed at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. That violence illustrated the rift within the party between younger liberal activists and older conservative stalwarts. (See "Memories of 1968 Democratic Convention Resonate in 2008 ( http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/August/20080804185251esnamfuak0.1775171.html ).")

It was also in 1968 that Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy predicted an African-American could become president in 2008.

"Things are moving so fast in race relations a Negro could be president in 40 years. There is no question about it. In the next 40 years, a Negro can achieve the same position that my brother has ... prejudice exists and probably will continue to ... but we have tried to make progress and we are making progress. We are not going to accept the status quo," Kennedy said May 27, 1968, approximately one week before he was assassinated.

Source: U.S. Department of State