Barack Obama was announced the winner of the Democratic presidential nominee after the routine roll call on Wednesday at the national convention in Denver, Colorado.
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U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) watches former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Billings, Montana, Aug. 26, 2008.[Xinhua Photo] |
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the other person whose name on the ballots, showed up at the convention as New York was to announce its voting result and send her acclamation to Obama, effectively ceasing the procedure and cancelling the prior voting results.
Before the roll call was over, Obama won the nomination by 1549 of the total 4,400 Democratic delegates from the U.S. 50 states, the District of Columbia and territories, while Clinton, got 282.
During the roll call, every state reported the voting result of its delegates. But it was just a routine procedure without any suspension because the Illinois Senator has become the presumptive presidential hopeful since he cumulated more than 2,210 delegates from primaries needed to clinch the candidacy on June 3.
However, the Democratic National Committee and Obama's campaign agreed to put Clinton's name on the convention ballots to honor her outstanding performance during the primary season and also as a try to woo her supporters.
California, the most populous state with most delegates seated at the convention, at 441, passed vote.
Florida, a state stirring controversy for it moving ahead with its primary date before Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 and then being stripped of all delegates to the convention as a punishment by the party, saw all of its 211 delegates reseated and passed 136 to Obama.
Clinton won the Florida primary with only her name on the ballots.
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The Deleware delegation, including Abby Betts, of Feltom, Del., celebrate as they cast their votes in the roll call during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Wednesday, August 27, 2008. [Chinadaily.com.cn via Agencies] |
Massachusetts's decision to offer Clinton 52 votes, nearly half of the total 131, grasped the convention attention.
U.S. media reports said that Clinton released her delegates gained from the primary on Wednesday, tell her supporters who were supposed to vote for her at the convention they could choose again in the roll call.
"This was such a competitive primary season," Clinton told her delegates, "I want you to know this has been a joy."
She also said that she cast her ballot as a New York Senator for Obama.
Obama is set to deliver an acceptance speech in INVESCO stadium on Thursday, which will cease his journey to become the Democratic presidential nominee and start a more tough and thorny road to the White House.
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2008)
