Barack Obama's giant stride to power as Hillary Clinton fights for her political life

12 April 2012

The race for the White House was turned on its head yesterday.

Barack Obama - a virtual nobody three years ago - swept to victory in the Iowa caucus leaving Hillary Clinton fighting for her political life.

In a contest dominated by demands for change, Obama defied conventional wisdom to explode from the blocks with a surging momentum that could take him all the way to the White House.

Voters in overwhelmingly white Iowa embraced the son of a Kenyan goat herder with dreams of becoming America's first black president.

Scroll down for more

The way ahead: Obama celebrates victory with his wife and daughters in Iowa

Given the first chance to vote for a credible female White House hopeful, Iowa's women voted in record numbers for a man.

The seemingly invincible Clinton campaign machine, armed with bottomless pockets, vast experience and the celebrity of former president Bill, was derailed by a first-time senator.

With 38 per cent of the vote, Obama left Clinton trailing nine points behind in third place on 29 per cent as they headed for New Hampshire, the second of the 50 states to vote for presidential nominees.

Clinton is still the runaway Democratic favourite bvut another poor showing in New Hampshire on Tuesday could doom her campaign for the presidential ballot in November.

Scroll down for more

The battle ahead: Hillary Clinton pleads with supporters after her crushing defeat

Bookmakers William Hill last night lengthened Clinton's odds of moving into the Oval Office from 5/6 to 11/8, while Obama was cut from 4/1 to 9/4. Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani is third at 7/1.

It may already be too late for John Edwards, despite his second-placed finish with 30 per cent in Iowa.

His hopes that his populist touch in the farm state would catapult him into contention foundered under the weight of Obama mania.

Obama now carries all the impetus into four frenzied days of campaigning in New Hampshire. For the senator from Illinois, it is another chance to buck the trend in a state that is 97 per cent white.

On the Republican side, 52-year- old Mike Huckabee, the guitar-playing former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher, rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians in Iowa.

He beat the much better funded Mormon candidate Mitt

Romney, a multi-millionaire former governor of Massacusetts, by 34 per cent to 25 per cent.

Scroll down for more

A triumphant Barack Obama and a dejected Hillary Clinton after the votes were counted in Iowa

Even parading his five sons and 11 grandchildren couldn't convince Iowans to go for Romney's family man image.

But the sensation breaking from the record turnout of Democrat voters in Iowa was the emergence of 46-year- old Obama, who earned plaudits for the grace and professionalism of his campaign and the soaring rhetoric that marked his win.

He has opposed the Iraq War from the outset and, although he is considered a Washington outsider, he has raked in £50million in campaign funds.

His stirring victory speech was already drawing comparisons with JFK and Martin Luther King. To chants of 'Obama, Obama' he told supporters in Des Moines: 'On this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. We are choosing hope over fear, we are choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.'

Scroll down for more...

Electrifying: Barack Obama victorious in Des Moines with wife Michelle and daughters Malia, left, and Natasha. The Illinois senator now looks like the favourite to win the crucial New Hampshire primary on Tuesday

Flanked by wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia, eight, and Sasha, six, he added: 'This was the moment we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long, when we gave Americans who have never participated in politics a reason to do so.'

About half of the caucus-goers said a candidate's ability to bring about change was the most important issue.

Obama also outpolled 60-yearold Clinton among women by about five percentage points and benefited from a surge in young, first-time voters. Some 57 per cent of voters under 29 said they voted for Obama - one in five of the total ballot.

Scoll down for more...

Republican winner Mike Huckabee (left) beat rival Mitt Romney, by 34 per cent to 25 per cent

Clinton on the ropes: Former favourite Hillary came third in the crucial first vote for a Democratic nominee for the White House

A dejected Clinton couldn't wait to move on and caught a midnight flight out of Iowa for New Hampshire.

Before she left, she pleaded with supporters: 'I am so ready for the rest of this campaign and I am so ready to lead'. With Bill looking clearly shocked at her side, she added: 'We're going to keep on pushing as hard as we can.'

The Republican wild card is former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who largely by-passed rural Iowa to concentrate on his metropolitan strongholds.

Clinton ignored similar advice and poured millions into a campaign she hoped would be a foundation for her nomination.

'The result was a major blow to the Clinton campaign,' said one leading Democratic analyst.

Scroll down for more...

Barack Obama addresses the crowd yesterday after sweeping to victory in the Iowa caucuse - the first nominating contest of the 2008 US presidential election

From being a virtual unknown three years ago, Barack Obama has become the new frontrunner for the Democratic party

'This was supposed to be a coronation and it almost ended up being a burial. Now she must do well in New Hampshire or she could very easily find that Obama is going to run away with the nomination.'

The record number of Democrat voters reflected the most exciting White House race for decades. The turnout was estimated at more than 239,000, compared to 125,000 four years ago and 59,000 in 2000.

Two Democratic candidates, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, abandoned their presidential bids after attracting 1 per cent or less of the vote in Iowa.

Low point: Hillary Clinton after her defeat in the Iowa caucuses

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in