Senator Barack Obama Wins Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington

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WASHINGTON (CNN) — Many voters in Saturday’s Republican contests showed they’re not yet ready to support Sen. John McCain as their party’s nominee while Sen. Barack Obama cut into Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead in the race for Democratic delegates. Obama claimed victory in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington on Saturday, as well as in the Virgin Islands. “The stakes are too high and the challenges are too great to play the same old Washington game with the same old Washington players and expect a different result,” Obama told a hugely supportive crowd of Democrats at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond, Virginia. “People want to turn the page. They want to write a new chapter in American history.”

Clinton has 1,100 delegates and Obama has 1,039, according to CNN calculations. Obama leads in pledged delegates — 908 to 877 — but Clinton’s superdelegates — 223 to 131 — give her the overall lead. “If I’m your nominee, you will never have to worry that I will be knocked out of the ring, because I do have strength and experience to lead this country, and I am ready to go toe-to-toe with Sen. McCain whenever and wherever he desires,” Clinton said Saturday. [ READ MORE » ]