RICHMOND,
VA. – He would be the first Black president
in the History of United States of America,
if he can keep his winning streak intact.
Born to a Kenyan Muslim Father and a White
American Mother, Barack Obama’s background
had gone a long way in making the man he is
now.
If an indicator,
Barack Obama’s Saturday sweep of Nebraska,
Washington state and Louisiana would put him
in the lead for pledged delegates, according
to CBS News' delegate count. As of 9 a.m.
Eastern Time, CBS News shows Obama with 975
pledged delegates to Hillary Clinton's 907.
Adding in superdelegates, Clinton holds a
slight lead, 1,118 to 1,112.
Obama spoke at
the Virginia Democratic Party's
Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Richmond on
Saturday, and said voters have chosen the
future over the past.
"Today, the
voters from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast
to the Heart of America, stood up to say,
Yes, we can. We won in Louisiana. We won in
Nebraska. We won in Washington state. We won
north, we won South. We won in between. And
I believe we can win in Virginia on Tuesday,
if you’re ready to stand for change,” Obama
said.
His campaign is
confident that the momentum from Saturday's
wins puts Obama in a better position for
another win in Maine's caucuses today and in
Tuesday’s contests in Virginia, Maryland and
D.C. Obama staffers argue that he needed the
boost because Clinton has an edge in Maine,
Virginia, and Maryland. A senior campaign
official said Clinton has the political
advantage in Maryland. She is endorsed by
Gov. Martin O’Malley, D-Md., and other state
officials.
The Obama
campaign also notes that Hillary and Bill
Clinton have been aggressively campaigning
in Maine and could have momentum there from
her New Hampshire win last month. However,
since Maine is a caucus contest, Obama may
perform better than his campaign is
suggesting - he's won every caucus so far
except for Nevada. Obama has a strong ground
organization in the state and if voter
turnout is high, he could perform well. The
only disadvantage could be the snowy weather
forecast in Maine today, which could
discourage voters from caucusing.
The Obama
campaign is also touting their February
fund-raising. The campaign has not released
figures for the month, but they claim to
have raised more than Clinton. Clinton
announced last night that she has raised $10
million since Super Tuesday.
“We’ve raised
well more than the Clinton campaign this
month but more importantly is how we have
raised it, from hundreds of thousands of
donors who are also forming the backbone of
a potent grassroots movement for change,”
Bill Burton, campaign spokesman, wrote in an
e-ail to reporters.
Today, Obama
campaigns across Virginia with Gov. Tim
Kaine, D-Virginia.