Supporters in Madison, Wisconsin celebrated the victory on Tuesday night in the streets of downtown.
How did you celebrate?
The Associated Press reports that Barack Obama won North Carolina...
President-elect Obama won North Carolina on Thursday, a triumph that underscored his political strength as he turned nine states that President Bush won in 2004 to Democratic blue. The Associated Press declared Obama the winner after canvassing counties in North Carolina to determine the number of outstanding provisional ballots. That survey found that there are not enough remaining ballots for Republican John McCain to close a 13,693-vote deficit.North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 - nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House - to McCain's 162. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call, with McCain leading by several thousand votes.Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.Of Bush's 2004 states, Obama captured Virginia, Florida and North Carolina in the South, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa in the Midwest and Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico in the West. All total, Obama has won 28 states and the District of Columbia, McCain 21.
President-elect Obama won North Carolina on Thursday, a triumph that underscored his political strength as he turned nine states that President Bush won in 2004 to Democratic blue.
The Associated Press declared Obama the winner after canvassing counties in North Carolina to determine the number of outstanding provisional ballots. That survey found that there are not enough remaining ballots for Republican John McCain to close a 13,693-vote deficit.
North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 - nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House - to McCain's 162. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call, with McCain leading by several thousand votes.
Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.
Of Bush's 2004 states, Obama captured Virginia, Florida and North Carolina in the South, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa in the Midwest and Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico in the West. All total, Obama has won 28 states and the District of Columbia, McCain 21.
"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you." - Barack Obama, Election Night 2008
Read the full speech, as prepared for delivery . . .
Keep up to date with the Obama campaign Electoral Map...
Joe, Jill and Mama Biden went to their local polling location in Wilmington, Delaware early this morning. Check out these pictures of them voting:
Have you voted yet? Find your polling location and vote now.
At 12:00 PM Eastern this morning, polls opened in Hawaii. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
For state specific information or for any issues you may have with voting, visit our Voter Information Center or call 1-877-US-4-OBAMA (877-874-6226).
This past weekend and yesterday our supporters stepped up to the plate to help Get Out The Vote. They knocked on millions of doors, made millions of phone calls and spent countless hours volunteering their time to make sure that everyone who needed voting information received it. All across the country people came together for change. People of all ages and backgrounds got back to the basics of grassroots organizing to do everything possible to help elect Barack Obama president. In Ohio, Democratic leaders spent their time touring the state and helping to motivate supporters to keep pushing toward the finish line. Thursday Gov. Ted Strickland teamed up with one-time Ohio senator and “Right Stuff” astronaut John Glenn in a day of county-by-county stops.
“The campaign is going well,” Strickland said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. “We are taking nothing for granted. I think the election will be very close. We are just going from community to community talking about the importance of this election.” And that’s the answer, Strickland contends — the grass roots – Knock for Barack— door-to-door campaign — that will turn the state to Obama. “I think the Obama grass roots campaign is the most extensive and impressive I have seen,” Strickland said. “I think it will make the difference in the ultimate winner. I told (Obama) a month ago when he called. Both you and McCain will have money for television and for telephoning. I believe what will make the difference in Ohio for you is the grass roots support that exists.” The governor cited 70 field offices and 600 paid staff plus thousands of volunteers. This summer the Obama campaign was the first in the history of a presidential race to open a separate office in Lawrence County, instead of using the party’s local headquarters. Glenn, who went solo Friday in the eastern part of the state, called this election the single most important national campaign in recent history. “I have never known a time when we have needed a change in the direction of the country,” Glenn told The Tribune in a phone interview. “The Republican party used to stand for balanced budgets and low debt. This has been a complete anathema to Republicans and Democrats. We can’t continue the way we are.” Wednesday night Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher made a brief stop at the Ironton Obama campaign headquarters, to make phone calls for the candidate and give a pep talk to the handful of workers there.
Pennsylvania State Director Craig Schmirer reported impressive numbers of on the ground effort for the Keystone State.
Over the past 48 hours, the organization the Obama campaign began building in Pennsylvania months ago kicked into high gear. Powered by people and fueled by a hunger for change, thousands of Pennsylvanians from every corner of the Commonwealth and all walks of life are giving a few hours of their time to turn the page on the failed policies and politics of the past eight years and to make Barack Obama the next President of the United States. Over the weekend, our volunteers knocked on 1,811,801 doors of homes from Erie to Easton, Johnstown to Jenkintown. We also made 1,193,573 phone calls to voters across the state. Unlike the McCain campaign, these aren't negative robocalls sent by the push of a button, anonymously spreading smears and lies. These are live phone calls in which Barack Obama's message of change and his plan to create an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs is laid out by a fellow voter. Over the next 36 hours, we will make even more voter contacts than this weekend. We have 81 offices across the state, many in parts of Pennsylvania that never have seen a presidential campaign set up there before. We have more than 500 staging locations for our grassroots canvass teams, positioned in every corner of the Commonwealth. And we have filled more than 200,000 volunteer-shifts for the final push toward Election Day. The visits of John McCain and Sarah Palin can't compete with this grassroots organization. Our volunteers are combining hard work and creativity to get the word out about Barack Obama. In Pittsburgh and State College, we have a volunteer who has engineered a mobile projector that will allow passersby to send a text message explaining why they are voting for Obama which will then be projected on the sides of buildings. For the last several days, we have had mobile billboards being driven around Philadelphia streets. And the night before Election Day, we will have street teams postering and flyering cities and small towns all across the state.
Missouri supporters keep building on the organizing effort they started earlier this summer to turn the state blue.
In 2008, Missouri has seen 340,000 new voter registrations, 150,000 of which were youth voters. Since the deadline for new voter registration, the Democrats have turned to "get out the vote" operations. “We know that first-time voters overwhelmingly trend towards Democratic candidates,” said Rick Puig, president of the Young Democrats of Missouri. “So our registration efforts were aimed at expanding that electorate effort and our GOTV is designed to turn out those voters.” Puig, along with several other leaders of Democratic student organizations, have said that they are impressed with the Obama campaign’s organization in central Missouri. “The Obama campaign this cycle makes any other campaign I’ve worked on look like a bunch of disorganized guerilla warfare,” Puig said. “The apparatus they’ve built in mid-Missouri is phenomenal.” Democrats have largely been following the blueprint of Claire McCaskill’s successful 2006 Senate campaign. “She taught the Democratic Party how to win statewide as a Democrat,” Puig said. “We have to not win rural voters by overwhelming margins, but we have to show up in a legitimate way.”
Our work is not yet done. After you vote today, volunteer at your local office or help make phone calls to remind others to vote.
At 11:00 AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in Alaska. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
Michelle Obama just sent out this email...
Amanda -- Today is Election Day. The opportunity to set our country on a new path has never felt more real than it does right now. The polls are open in most places, and people are already making their voices heard for change. There's just one thing left to do -- vote and make sure everyone you know votes, too. You can find or verify your polling location by looking up your most recent registration address at VoteForChange.com. Go vote today, and make sure you take your friends and family with you. This is the day when we have to commit to doing everything we can. We can't afford not to -- for our families, our communities, and our future. Once you vote, you can do more than just wait as the returns come in. You can help get every last vote for Barack by volunteering in your community or making calls from home. Help put us over the top today: http://my.barackobama.com/november It's not too late to knock on doors, make calls, and make sure that every one of our supporters gets to the polls today. Change is within our reach. We're counting on you to get us there today. Thank you for everything you're doing, Michelle P.S. -- If anyone you know hasn't yet made up their mind, please invite them to learn more about Barack's positions on important issues: http://www.barackobama.com/issues
At 10:00 AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
Barack and Michelle, along with Malia and Sasha, stopped by their local polling location in Chicago to vote this morning. The polls in Illinois are open now, as well as in 33 other states. Find your polling location and vote today.
At 9:00 AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
At 8:30 AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in Arkansas. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
At 8:00am AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
Polls are now open in 22 states across the country and voters are casting their ballots for president. Record numbers of people will vote today in every state and we need all the help we can get to make sure they have the correct information. Spend today volunteering at your local office or making phone calls -- after voting, of course. Everything comes down to today -- we can't let up now. Sign up to volunteer.
At 7:00 AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri and Michigan. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
At 6:30 AM Eastern this morning, polls opened in Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina. No matter where you live, you can find your polling location now.
We started this campaign in February 2007. Twenty-one months later the day we have all been waiting for is upon us.We will wake up tomorrow with a chance to make history. A chance to elect Barack Obama president. This is what we've all been working for. This is what we've sacrificed dinners out for, why we spent our summer organizing, why we stayed up late to call, why spent our weekends volunteering. One day to change the world. Our supporters have put their heart and soul into this campaign. And there is no way that we would be where we are without you. You made this campaign what it is today. We reached this point because of you.Now is the time to do what we've been working for: vote for Barack Obama for president.Go to VoteforChange.com right now and find your polling location. Invite all of your friends and family to find their polling location. Decide when you are going to vote; on the way to work, at lunch or on the way home. Remind your co-workers to vote.Go vote and make history.
Joe and Jill are holding a Change We Need Rally at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can watch the event live below:
[UPDATE] This event has ended. Check back tomorrow for more coverage Election Day coverage.
