After Wisc. win, Obama urges Texans to 'fight for every delegate'
HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) – Fresh on the heels of his win in Wisconsin–and after thanking the people of the Badger State for "their extraordinary civic pride"–Obama told an audience in Houston, Texas, that the change America seeks is "still months and miles away."
"We will need you to fight for every delegate it takes to win this nomination," the Illinois senator said to crowd of over 18,000 at the Toyota Center.
"And if we win the nomination, if we are blessed and honored to win the nomination, then we're going to need your help to win the election in November."
The battleground that is the race for the Democratic nomination has recently turned into a fierce back and forth over the role of both pledged delegates and super-delegates.
CNN projects McCain wins GOP contest in Washington
Track county-by-county results by clicking here.
A big night for Obama, McCain
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/POLITICS/02/19/feb19.contests/art.mccain.wis.gi.jpg caption="The race’s recent victors won again last night."] (CNN) - Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will win in Wisconsin, CNN projects.
Sen. John McCain is looking to pick up more delegates as he inches toward his party's nomination.
The victory marks the ninth consecutive win for Obama over rival Hillary Clinton since a split-decision on Super Tuesday two weeks ago.
"The change we seek is still months and miles away," Obama said Tuesday night in Houston, Texas.
"It is going to take more than big rallies. It is going to require more than rousing speeches ... it is going to require something more because the problem that we face in America today is not the lack of good ideas. It's that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die," he said.
Obama and Clinton have turned their attention to Ohio and Texas, which hold contests on March 4. Early voting began in Texas on Tuesday.
In the Republican race, Wisconsin gives McCain at least 13 more delegates; 24 more delegates are to be awarded to the winner of each congressional district.
The remaining three GOP delegates are unpledged Republican National Committee members.
As Obama has emerged as the front-runner in the Democratic race, McCain has increasingly directed criticism toward him.
"I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," McCain told supporters Tuesday night.
McCain targets Obama
(CNN) – Sen. John McCain used his Wisconsin victory speech to train his sights on Sen. Barack Obama, who scored his ninth straight win against Sen. Hillary Clinton Tuesday night.
“I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent call for change,” McCain said, referring to Obama’s key theme and much-discussed style of oratory.
“It’s no more than an eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than the people,” said McCain.
“My friends, I’m not the youngest candidate - but I am the most experienced,” McCain also said, taking another shot at Obama.
–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart
Clinton: 'It is about picking a president'
(CNN) - Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks in Youngstown, Ohio after Sen. Barack Obama is projected the winner in Wisconsin's Democratic primary on Tuesday night.
Related: Clinton: Choice is between 'speeches' vs. 'solutions'
Scenes from the trail: McCain negotiates through a crowd
Sen. John McCain is swamped by supporters and the press after speaking Columbus, Ohio Tuesday night.
(Photo Credit: Ken Tillis/CNN)
Exit polls: McCain voters most worried about Iraq
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/02/19/today.mccain.jpg caption=""]
(CNN) - The economy was the top concern among Wisconsin Republicans, as it has been in every primary and caucus this year. But John McCain’s supporters had a competing concern in early exit polls - by a narrow 35 percent to 33 percent margin, they were more worried about the war in Iraq than the economy.
McCain’s voters made up 70 percent of those most concerned about Iraq, the polls showed, while Mike Huckabee’s voters made up 39 percent of those most concerned about the economy. Sixty-one percent of the Wisconsin GOP voters said the economy was either not good or poor.
The polls also showed that voters looking for experience tapped McCain, the four-term Arizona senator, while voters looking for a candidate that shares their values chose Huckabee.
Exit polls: McCain and the conservative vote
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/02/19/john.wisc.jpg caption="McCain speaks to supporters at a rally in Brookfield, Wisconsin."]
(CNN) - Half of Wisconsin’s Republican primary voters who said they were very conservative cast their ballots for Mike Huckabee, according to early exit polls. But John McCain, who has been wooing that key GOP voting bloc, managed to pull in 40 percent of that group. Forty-nine percent of somewhat conservative Republicans went for McCain, as did 66 percent moderate voters followed suit.
Evangelical voters still flocked to Huckabee, a one-time Baptist minister.
Overall, McCain and Huckabee split the nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin Republicans who identified themselves as conservatives, with both candidates
taking 45 percent. Ron Paul, the only other Republican still in the race, drew 5 percent of the conservative vote and Mitt Romney – no longer an active candidate - drew 3 percent.
In Wisconsin, 76 percent of the GOP voters said they'd be satisfied if McCain is the GOP nominee. Forty-eight percent said McCain's positions were "about right," but 44 percent said he was "not conservative enough."
Exit polls: Change the top priority
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/02/19/woman.jpg caption="A woman casts a paper ballot in Hortonville, Wisconsin."]
(CNN) – For Wisconsin’s Democratic primary voters, the most important quality in picking a president this year was change - and most of those voters chose Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton Tuesday, according to early exit polls.
Clinton had a narrow advantage over Obama as most qualified to be commander in chief; Obama was viewed as most likely to unite the country, improve relations with the rest of the world – and beat the Republican nominee this fall.
–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
CNN projects Obama wins Wisconsin Democratic primary
Track the county-by-county results here.
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