WASHINGTON - Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination last night, a breakthrough in the evolution of American politics that sets the stage for a precedent-shattering matchup against Republican John McCain.
Obama, who will become the first black nominee of a major party, gained a delegate majority on the final day of the longest, most expensive and closely contested nomination struggle in decades.
"Tonight, we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another," Obama said last night as he turned his attention to the fall campaign. "Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for the president of the United States of America."
FOR THE RECORD - A front-page box in yesterday's editions of The Sun misidentified one of the superdelegates who announced his support for Sen. Barack Obama. The delegate was Rep. John P. Sarbanes, not Paul Sarbanes.
THE SUN REGRETS THE ERROR
Obama, addressing a large crowd at the site of this summer's Republican convention, heaped praise on Hillary Clinton as "a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage and her commitment" and said he was "a better candidate" for having competed against her.
The 46-year-old freshman senator's triumph ended, at least for now, Clinton's attempt to become the nation's first female president. The former first lady, in her second term as a senator, briefly congratulated Obama "on the extraordinary race" he had run but pointedly did not concede.
Amid reports that she is interested in becoming the vice presidential nominee, Clinton, smiling and composed, described Obama, in a speech to supporters in New York, as her friend and said she was committed to unifying the party and winning in November. But, she said, "this has been a long campaign and I will be making no decisions tonight" on her next move.
Obama broke through the 2,118-delegate barrier needed to assure him of a nominating majority in the same way he closed out Clinton over the final months of the campaign: He picked up pledged delegates in a split decision in the last two primaries - winning Montana but losing South Dakota to Clinton - while collecting new support from several dozen more elected and party officials known as superdelegates.
Obama needed every bit of the primary calendar to vanquish a determined Clinton, 60, who began the campaign as an overwhelming favorite. She fought back from a disastrous series of defeats in January and February in a gritty closing drive that won her most of the primaries held over the final three months of the season.
