Democrat Barack Obama pivoted on Wednesday from the glow of a historic White House victory to the daunting challenge of leading a country mired in a deep economic crisis and two lingering wars.
Obama won at least 349 Electoral College votes with two states still too close to call. With 96 percent of the popular vote counted, he led McCain by 52 per cent to 46 per cent. Obama earned 63.25 million votes nationwide and McCain, 55.90 million, NBC, CBS and Fox News reported. With record numbers of Americans casting ballots, the first African-American president-elect won more votes than any candidate in US history, and a higher percentage of the overall vote than any Democrat since Lyndon B Johnson in 1964 (61.1 percent).
Democrats gained at least five Senate seats, increasing their control in the 100-seat upper house to at least 56, and about 20 in the House of Representatives. It gives them a commanding majority in Congress and strengthens Obama’s hand. Four Senate seats remained undecided, among them the contentious re-election bid by 84-year-old Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the longest-serving Senate Republican, who was convicted last month of lying on Senate forms to hide favours he received from a contractor.
Despite the strong showing, Democrats appeared to be falling short of their goal to take 60 Senate seats. A 60-40 majority would make it nearly impossible for the opposition to use procedural manoeuvres to block Democratic proposals from coming to a vote.
In the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, the Democrats expanded their majority by dominating the Northeast and ousting Republicans in every region. The Democrats added at least 17 seats to the 30 they took from Republicans in 2006. Fewer than 10 races remained undecided.
The day after a sweeping election triumph that will make him the first black president in US history, Obama faced the task of quickly building a new administration and defining his priorities for the formal takeover on January 20. “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there,” Obama told more than 200,000 jubilant supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park late on Tuesday.
He also addressed himself to peoples beyond US borders and in the “forgotten corners of our world”, saying he would promote the cause of peace. “(O)ur stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand,”, he said.
“To those who would tear this world down — we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security — we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright — tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope,” he added.
“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 our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” he said.
Before Obama spoke, McCain conceded defeat. He told a crowd of supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, that “American people have spoken and they have spoken clearly.”
He congratulated Obama for his victory which is “a great thing” for himself and the country. “Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country,” McCain said.
Flanked by wife Cindy and running-mate Sarah Palin, McCain spoke to supporters outside the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, shortly after election results showed that he lost by a big margin.
“It’s natural tonight to feel some disappointment. Though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours,” he told his supporters. He voiced respect for Obama for his success “in a contest as long and as difficult as this campaign has been”.
“His success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance,” McCain noted. Raucous street celebrations erupted across the country, but Obama has little time to enjoy the triumph. Once in office, he will face immediate pressure to deliver on his campaign promises and resolve a long list of lingering problems.
Obama has vowed to withdraw US troops from Iraq in the first 16 months of his term and to bolster US troop levels in Afghanistan, but his first task will be tackling the US financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression.
Obama’s planning for the takeover has been under way for weeks and he is expected to move quickly to fill positions such as Treasury secretary and secretary of state.Obama has reportedly asked Rahm Emanuel, a Democratic congressman from Illinois who served in President Bill Clinton’s administration, to lead his White House as chief of staff.
Obama’s first morning as president-elect was spent in more prosaic duties. He had breakfast at home in Chicago with his two daughters, then headed to the gym for a workout. He planned a stop at campaign headquarters later to thank his staff. The son of a black father from Kenya and white mother from Kansas, Obama’s triumph over Republican rival John McCain on Tuesday was a milestone that could help the United States move beyond its long struggle with racism.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reflected the joy of many black Americans, calling Obama “inspirational” and praising the United States for its ability to surprise. “As an African-American, I’m especially proud, because this is a country that’s been through a long journey, in terms of overcoming wounds and making race not the factor in our lives,” Rice told reporters.
Americans celebrated in front of the White House to mark Obama’s win and Bush’s imminent departure. Cars jammed downtown Washington streets, with drivers honking their horns and leaning out their windows to cheer. Thousands more joined street celebrations in New York’s Times Square and in cities and towns across the country. “This is a great night. This is an unbelievable night,” US Rep John Lewis of Georgia, who was brutally beaten by police in Alabama during a civil rights march in the 1960s, said at an Atlanta celebration.