In what many pundits are claiming to be the night of reckoning for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, Tuesday’s primaries resulted in a dominating victory in North Carolina for Clinton’s rival Sen. Barack Obama and a squeaker in Indiana that came down to the wire.

Clinton won Indiana by just over 22,000 votes, or 51% to 49% Obama. Indiana was not declared until about 1 a.m. as campaigns sweated out votes being counted in the heavily populated, Obama favoring Lake County. In the end, those votes were not enough for the upset.

The story was entirely different in North Carolina, however, as Obama captured the North Carolina primary 56 percent to Clinton’s 42 percent - spurred by African American and new voters.

Many pundits, viewed Obama’s victory speech - which was thundering and similar to speeches he gave pro-Wright - as a general election speech, suggesting Obama believes the primary race is over.

This has been one of the longest, most closely fought contests in history,” Obama said at a victory rally in Raleigh, N.C. Tuesday night. “And that’s partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton.”

In recent weeks Clinton has argued Obama’s failure to reach white, blue-collar workers meant Obama would lose the general election fight against presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

However, Clinton failed Tuesday to decisively win Indiana — despite it’s large population of the rural, blue-collar, low education voters that have typically supported her.

In her speech last night, Clinton pledged to work hard to win upcoming primaries in Kentucky, Oregon, and West Virginia and plugged her website for supporters to donate money.

I will never give up on you, and your families, and your dreams, and your future,” she said.

Seemingly extending a hand of unity, Clinton said she would work to support the Democratic nominee even if she does not win the nomination.

Clinton, who many felt needed double victories Tuesday, trails Obama in the delegate count, the popular vote, and in the number of states won.

Obama won at least 69 delegates in the North Carolina and Indiana primaries. Clinton won at least 63 delegates, with 55 still to be awarded.

In the overall race for the nomination, Obama leads with 1,815.5 delegates, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Clinton has 1,672.

Obama is on pace to reach a majority of the pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses in two weeks, when Kentucky and Oregon vote. Obama has a 158-delegate lead among pledged delegates.

There are 217 delegates at stake in the final six contests. Also, about 270 superdelegates are yet to be claimed.

• Howard Dean Speaks Out Again//Calls to End Primary Contest
• Hillary Clinton Wins Pennsylvania Primary
• PRIMARY AFTERMATH// McGovern Backs Obama// Bomb Threat
• Predicting Pennsylvania: Different Polls Show Clinton A Favorite
• North Carolina Governor Endorses Clinton

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