CNN - Obama wins in Mississippi, CNN projects

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Obama wins in Mississippi, CNN projects

Sen. Barack Obama will win Mississippi's Democratic primary, CNN projects.

Obama will also finish first in the Texas Democratic caucuses, which were held last week.

He will get more delegates out of the state than rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won the state's primary.

Under the Texas Democratic Party's complex delegate selection plan, Texas voters participated in both a primary and caucuses last week.

Two-thirds of the state's 193 delegates were at stake at the primary, while the remaining third were decided by the caucuses.

As has been the case in many primary states, Obama won overwhelming support from African-American voters. They went for him over Clinton 91-9 percent.

The state has a larger proportion African-Americans (36 percent, according to the 2000 census) than any other state in the country. And black voters make up nearly 70 percent of registered Democrats.

But Mississippi white voters overwhelmingly backed the New York senator, supporting her over Obama 72 percent to 21 percent.

According to the Associated Press, only two other primary states were as racially polarized -- neighboring Alabama, and Clinton's former home state of Arkansas.

The exit polls also indicated roughly 40 percent of Mississippi Democratic voters said race was an important factor in their vote, and 90 percent of those voters supported Obama.

In Ohio, roughly one in five voters said race factored into their decision. About 60 percent of those voters picked Clinton over Obama.

The exit polls in Mississippi also showed Democratic voters divided.

Of those who voted for Obama, 42 percent said they would be satisfied if Clinton was the nominee, according to the exit polls.

Among Clinton voters, only 16 percent said they would be satisfied if Obama wins the party's top spot.

The exit polls are based on surveys of 925 voters in Mississippi's Democratic primary.

Mississippi had 33 delegates up for grabs.

Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count 1,597-1,470, but neither candidate is close to the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

Between 125,000 and 150,000 voters were expected to cast ballots Tuesday, according to Pamela Weaver of the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office.

While the number would represent a 25 to 50 percent increase in turnout from the 2004 primaries, Weaver still described the voting rate as light to moderate.

Obama touched on the Mississippi Delta's economic struggles during a final campaign stop in Greenville, Mississippi, according to the AP.

"We just haven't seen as much opportunity come to this area as we'd like," he told those gathered at a restaurant, the AP reported. "And one of the challenges, I think, for the next president is making sure that we're serving all communities and not just some communities."

Obama campaigned in Mississippi on Monday and spent part of Tuesday doing the same, while rival Clinton made a swing through the state on Thursday and Friday. Watch what Mississippi voters say is the top issue

In addition, former President Bill Clinton made the rounds for his wife in Mississippi over the weekend.

Mississippi holds open primaries, which means independents and Republicans can vote in the Democratic contest.

Another thing to keep an eye on is turnout. Jesse Jackson grabbed 45 percent of the vote in the Mississippi Democratic primary when he ran for the White House in 1988.

Al Gore, at the time a senator from Tennessee, came in second with 33 percent of the vote. More than 359,000 people voted in that year's Democratic primary. Only 76,000 people cast ballots in the 2004 contest, which John Kerry won overwhelmingly.

For Mississippi, it's a moment to bask in the national spotlight. And for a state with images of a strictly segregated past, the Democratic primary is a chance to alter some long held stereotypes.

"We're seeing a contest where I think you're going to see a huge turnout of voters voting either for a woman or an African-American, and that gives us a chance to make a statement," said Marty Wiseman, a professor of political science at Mississippi State University.