Obama sweeps 3 states, Huckabee takes 2

Barack Obama easily swept Democratic presidential contests in three states on Saturday, striking the latest blows in a bruising back-and-forth battle with Hillary Clinton for the party's nomination.

Among Republicans, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won contests in Louisiana and Kansas over front-runner John McCain, underscoring lingering conservative discontent with the Arizona senator two days after he essentially sewed up the nomination.

Obama cruised to decisive wins in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington to gain a small dose of momentum in a deadlocked, state-by-state fight with Clinton for Democratic convention delegates who will choose the party's presidential nominee.

"Today, the voters from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast to the heart of America stood up to say yes, we can," Obama said at a party dinner in Richmond, Virginia, a state that votes on Tuesday.

"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 that we can win Virginia on Tuesday if you're ready to stand for change," the Illinois senator said.

The wins by Huckabee, whose campaign has been fueled by support from social and religious conservatives, were not surprises in states with big conservative voting blocs and did not change McCain's daunting advantages in the Republican race.

"This race is far from being over," Huckabee told reporters after crushing McCain in Kansas. On Thursday, McCain virtually clinched the nomination when his chief rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, withdrew from the race.

Huckabee is now the only major opponent for McCain, who has rolled up more than 700 of the 1,191 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination at this summer's convention. Texas Rep. Ron Paul also remains in the race.

McCain was running slightly ahead of Huckabee in partial returns in Washington, which also voted on Saturday in the Republican race to choose a candidate in November's presidential election to succeed President George W. Bush.

Huckabee captured about 60 percent of the vote in Kansas, more than double McCain's total. He narrowly beat McCain in Louisiana.

Obama cruised to easy wins in Nebraska and Washington, doubling Clinton's tally by capturing more than 60 percent of the vote. He comfortably beat Clinton in Louisiana, winning more than half of the vote.

Obama also won easily in the U.S. territory of the Virgin Islands, which has three delegates to the convention.

Clinton, a New York senator, and Obama are about even in pledged delegates but well short of the 2,025 needed to win the nomination.

Democratic rules allocate delegates on a proportional basis statewide and in congressional districts, meaning even the loser in each state can win big blocks of delegates.

It was not immediately clear how the delegate count would break down in the three states and one territory, where a combined 161 convention delegates were at stake. The Obama camp said it had won just more than 100 of the delegates up for grabs on Saturday.

Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, had been the favorite in all three contests. In Louisiana, he had been expected to benefit from a high percentage of black
voters, his strongest supporters.

Exit polls showed blacks made up about half of the turnout in the state on Saturday, and Obama won four of every five of their votes. Clinton captured about 70 percent of whites, with Obama taking about one-quarter of their vote.

The contests in Nebraska and Washington were caucuses, which require voters to turn up at specific times and typically attract more motivated voters. Obama has focused on caucus states, where his advantages in organization and grass-roots enthusiasm come into play.

In the Republican race, McCain still faces widespread opposition from conservatives unhappy with his views on immigration, tax cuts and other issues.

Huckabee promised at a conference of conservative activists in Washington to continue his shoestring campaign at least until McCain clinched the nomination.

"I know that I won't drop out until at least that happens and then we'll see," he told reporters, denying he was hoping to become McCain's vice-presidential running mate.

Huckabee also shrugged off a call from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a McCain supporter, urging him to drop out.

"I did not major in math, but I majored in miracles, and I still believe in them," Huckabee said at a rally at the University of Maryland in College Park.