Obama sweeps N Carolina, Hillary manages to get Indiana

CAROLINA CALLING: The win in North Carolina will give Obama the larger share of the state's 115 delegates.

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Keywords: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama

Washington:> Senator Barack Obama claimed victory in North Carolina on Tuesday, but the contest in Indiana was too close to call.

Early returns in Indiana showed Senator Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead, but as results came in through the evening, that lead narrowed considerably.

With 85 per cent of Indiana precincts reporting, Clinton was ahead of Obama, 52-48 per cent.

There are 72 delegates at stake in Indiana.

Obama congratulated Clinton on what he called her apparent victory there.

He thanked his supporters in North Carolina after they handed him a decisive win. With more than 60 per cent of precincts reporting, Obama held a 14-point lead over Clinton.

The win will give him the larger share of the state's 115 delegates.

"Some were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election. But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington," Obama told supporters in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Obama took an overwhelming 91 per cent of the black vote in North Carolina, according to exit polls, while Clinton claimed only 6 per cent.

Clinton took 59 per cent of the white vote compared to 36 per cent for Obama, according to the polls.

Poll workers in Indiana and North Carolina reported heavy turnout in the two primaries.

Turnout in the North Carolina Democratic primary was expected to reach 50 per cent, according to Gary Bartlett, executive director for the North Carolina Board of Elections.

That figure would far exceed the 15 per cent to 30 per cent that usually turn out for a primary, he said.

The Indiana secretary of state's office said turnout was high throughout the day.

Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita will not release official figures until the end of the day, but said turnout looked more like a general election than a primary.

A judge ordered some polling stations in Indiana to stay open past closing time because the lines were so long.

Polling officials in Indianapolis said they had set a record for voter turnout after being open for only six hours.

According to early exit polls, half of Clinton's supporters in Indiana would not vote for Obama in a general election match up with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

A third of Clinton voters said they would pick McCain over Obama, while 17 per cent said they would not vote at all.

Forty-eight per cent of Clinton supporters said they would back Obama in November.

Obama got even less support from Clinton backers in North Carolina where 45 per cent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for him over McCain. Thirty-eight per cent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for McCain while 12 per cent said they would not vote.

Obama voters appear to be more willing to support Clinton in November. In Indiana, 59 per cent of Obama backers said they'd vote for Clinton, and 70 per cent of Obama backers in North Carolina said vote for her against McCain.