Obama Takes Iowa in a Big Turnout as Clinton Falters; Huckabee Victor

The New York Times

DES MOINES — A smaller field of presidential candidates arrived in New Hampshire Friday morning facing a dramatically upended campaign after two one-time insurgents — Senator Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat, and Mike Huckabee, the Arkansas Republican — won the Iowa caucuses Thursday night.
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Supporters of Mr. Obama celebrating his victory in Des Moines. More Photos »
Mr. Obama, 46, a first-term senator trying to become the nation’s first African-American president, and Mr. Huckabee, who just two months ago was a flicker on the Republican radar screen, planned a day of appearances and rallies as they tried to take advantage of whatever lift they enjoyed from their once-unlikely victory.
Time is short: The New Hampshire primary is just five days away.
At the same time, the other candidates on both sides regrouped as they tried to deal with the new landscape. On the Democratic side, the problem was particularly sharp for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who had presented herself as the front-runner in the race but came in third, albeit by a whisker. A third Democrat, John Edwards, was also in a difficult position after a second-place finish in a state that had been a major focus of his campaign since 2004.
Two Democrats dropped out Thursday night: Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware. Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico came in fourth, and remained in the race, joining the other three Democrats in what is looming as a critical four-way Democratic debate on Saturday.
On the Republican side, the result was a sharp setback for Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts Republican who poured money and resources into the state, and finished his campaign with a series of sharp attacks on Mr. Huckabee. In New Hampshire, he faces the added problem of the strong presence of Senator John McCain of Arizona.
Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Edwards both vowed to stay in the race as Mr. Obama declared victory after an election in which voters embraced his message of change.
“They said this day would never come,” Mr. Obama said as he celebrated his victory at a packed rally in downtown Des Moines.
Mr. Huckabee, a Baptist minister, was carried to victory in large part by evangelical voters, who helped him withstand extensive spending by Mr. Romney on television advertising and a get-out-the-vote effort.
“Tonight we proved that American politics is still in the hands of ordinary folks like you,” said Mr. Huckabee, who ran on a platform that combined economic populism with an appeal to social conservatives.
Mr. Huckabee won with 34.4 percent of the delegate support, after 86 percent of precincts had reported. Mr. Romney had 25.4 percent, former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee had 13.4 percent and Mr. McCain had 13.2 percent.
On the Democratic side, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Obama had 37.6 percent of the delegate support, Mr. Edwards had 29.8 percent and Mrs. Clinton had 29.5 percent. Mr. Richardson was fourth, at 2.11 percent.
A record number of Democrats turned out to caucus — more than 239,000, compared with fewer than 125,0000 in 2004 — producing scenes of overcrowded firehouses and schools and long lines of people waiting to register their preferences.
The presence stood as evidence of the success of Mr. Obama’s effort to reach out to thousands of first-time caucus voters, including many independent voters and younger voters. The huge turn-out — by contrast, 108,000 Republicans caucused on Thursday — demonstrated the extent to which opposition to President Bush has energized Democrats, and served as another warning to Republicans about the problems they face this November in swing states like this.
Mr. Obama’s victory in this overwhelmingly white state was a powerful answer to the question of whether America was prepared to vote for a black person for president. What was remarkable was the extent to which race was not a factor in this contest. Surveys of voters entering the caucuses also indicated that he had won the support of many independents, a development that his aides used to rebut suggestions from rivals that he could not win a general election. In addition, voters clearly rejected the argument that Mr. Obama does not have sufficient experience to take over the White House, a central point pressed by Mrs. Clinton.
Mr. Obama took the stage Thursday night, smiling broadly and clapping his hands in response to the roar of cheers that greeted him.
“They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose,” Mr. Obama said. “But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do.”
The result sent tremors of apprehension through Mrs. Clinton’s camp, and she promptly turned her attention to New Hampshire, flying there on a plane that left at midnight. Aides said that former President Bill Clinton would go there immediately and spend the next five days campaigning in a state where he has always been strong. Mrs. Clinton, in her concession speech, sought again to embrace the mantle of change that has served Mr. Obama so well, even as she was flanked on the stage by Mr. Clinton, his face frozen in a smile, and Madeleine K. Albright, who was Mr. Clinton’s secretary of state.
“What is most important now is that, as we go on with this contest, that we keep focused on the two big issues, that we answer correctly the questions that each of us has posed,” Mrs. Clinton said. “How will we win in November 2008 by nominating a candidate who will be able to go the distance and who will be the best president on Day One.”
Mr. Edwards in his speech Thursday night suggested that he had benefited from the same electoral forces that lifted Mr. Obama to victory. “Continue on,” Mr. Edwards shouted at supporters from the stage, his voice sounding hoarse. “Thank you for second place.”