The Potomac Primary: Obama Wins All Three and Makes it Eight Straight Victories.

Obama has just been projected to win the Virginia primary and by a substantial margin which as I've discussed here before gives him more delegates. However, I'd say that the big story tonight isn't just the large margin of victories but that Senator Obama is making significant inroads into Hillary Clinton's base. In the exit polls out of Virginia, Barack is edging out Hillary in her bedrock constituencies of voters over 60 and older (52% to 47%), blue collar workers and women.

Obama led Clinton 58-42 percent among the women who were polled, took 59 percent of the votes of respondents who said they earn less than $50,000 a year and 62 percent of those who said someone in their household is a member of a union.
The Virginia exit polls are also showing that Obama is splitting the white vote with Hillary which is a big change:

And 49 percent of those who voted for Obama were white, a big change from previous contests in which Clinton held a big lead over Obama among white Democrats.

"We haven't seen that happen this strikingly before, and this in a Southern state," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.

With Virginia being an open primary, Obama won a majority of Republican voters and Independents. He won the Independents 66% to 33% and won the Republicans with 70% of the vote. These are folks that Obama is calling, "Obamacans" and my parents are two of them. They really like Obama and would much prefer voting for him than McCain. This is just more evidence that he can win in a general election in red states easier than Clinton.

He even beat Clinton with Latinos 55 to 45.

This just in....

Obama is projected to win the D.C. primary

Also, Hillary Clinton's staff seems to be imploding with the campaign manager being tossed a few days ago. However, tonight Chris Cillizza is reporting that the Deputy-Campaign Manager Mike Henry has resigned. Not the best news that you want to have out in the air on a night like tonight and following the fantastic weekend that Obama had.

Obama leading in D.C. 76% to 24%

More updates to come...

UPDATE: Obama projected to win in Maryland with similar numbers and demographics as Virginia

UPDATE 2: A couple of excepts from Obama's victory speech tonight:

"Today, the change we seek swept through Chesapeake and over the Potomac," Obama said at a rally Tuesday night in Wisconsin, the stage of the next contest on Feb. 19. "We won the state of Maryland, we won the Commonwealth of Virginia, and though we won in Washington, D.C., this campaign won't stop until there is change in Washington, D.C."

"We have now won East and West, North and South, and across the heartland of this country," Obama told the crowd in Madison, Wis. "We have given young people a reason to believe and we have brought the young at heart back to the polls who want to believe again."

GOI: So next we turn to Wisconsin. I love Wisconsin and their politics. I have roots in the Norwegian ethnic parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota. I have family who are part-time Wisconsinians and have a cozy little cabin up north of St. Croix Falls where I would visit from time to time. I have great memories of fishing, swimming and cabin life from Wisconsin. I also have some good memories of watching a lumberjack competition up in Hayward. You have some beautiful country up there.

But anyway, your politics is an awesome example of the power of grassroots, ground-up, progressive government and Obama is that kind of candidate. I dig the maverick spirit you have there that brought the great Senator Russ Feingold to the country who is one of my favorite Senators. I admire how he sticks to his principles and would love to see Feingold in an Obama administration, perhaps a V.P. He'd be a great choice I think.

I'll wrap this up with, "Let's make Wisconsin Obama country!!!"

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