By Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Barack Obama celebrates daughters Sasha and Malia and wife Michelle during an election night victory rally at Chicago's Grant Park.
BLOGGING THE ELECTION
DIG INTO CAMPAIGN DOLLARS
USA TODAY's interactive campaign finance tracker lets you examine and filter donations by state, date, amount and sector.
REPORTING ACROSS THE USA
By Rick Wilking, Reuters
John McCain stands with his wife Cindy as he delivers his concession speech in Phoenix after Barack Obama won the presidential election.
By Randy Lilleston and Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
Democrat Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, becoming the first African American to win the post and completing a stunningly rapid rise from state senator to the White House.
A win in California put Obama over the top, giving him 55 electoral votes — enough to surpass the 270 needed to defeat Republican John McCain and claim the presidency. The Illinois senator won key state after key state Tuesday, with victories in the battlegrounds of Ohio, Virginia, Florida and Pennsylvania being harbingers of the outcome.
SHARE: Log your voting experiences
POLITICS BLOG: Predict the winner
By early Wednesday, the AP projected Obama had 349 electoral votes. McCain had 147.
The popular vote was significantly closer than the electoral vote. With 83% of precincts reporting, Obama led McCain nationally, 51.7% to 47.1%.
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of the founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," Obama told thousands of cheering supporters at an enormous rally in Chicago's Grant Park.
"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you."
He was gracious to McCain, saying his opponent "fought long and hard in this campaign. He has fought even harder and longer for the country that he loves."
Obama, 47, called for a renewal of the American spirit and spoke directly to McCain supporters.
"I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices," Obama said. "I need your help and I will be your president, too."
Only four years ago on election night, Obama was a newly minted U.S. senator-elect after serving for eight years in the Illinois legislature. Now he holds the title of president-elect.
"My friends, we have come to the end of a long journey," McCain told his supporters in Phoenix. He congratulated Obama for the victory, saying he admired Obama's ability to unite diverse groups.
"Senator Obama and I have had — and argued — our differences, and he has prevailed," McCain said. He pledged to help Obama "lead us through the many challenges we face."
【免费咨询报名电话：010-6801 7975】
咨询报名MSN:xueliedu@hotmail.com
试一试网上报名
咨询报名QQ：
| 1505847972 | 1256358232 | 1363884583 | 1902839745 | 800072298 | 754854002 |
| 中专升大专 | 中专升本科 | 高升专 | 高升本 | 专升本 | 自考 |
报名咨询在线MSN：
