Democrat Barack Obama beat rival Hillary Clinton by just seven votes in Guam's nominating contest after record numbers of residents voted in the tiny US territory's primary, officials said on Sunday. Results after more than 12 hours of manual counting showed Obama took 2,264 votes to 2,257 for Clinton. Only 1,500 people took part in 2004. “Clearly, both of them are quite popular and we should celebrate that,” Josh Tenorio, said Obama's campaign manager. With only four votes at the Democratic convention at stake, the contest on Guam, a Pacific island 20 hours from Washington, will barely register in the race. Neither candidate made it to Guam - instead both called into radio stations to campaign - but some islanders were thrilled to finally be in the spotlight. Clinton issued a statement congratulating Obama for “running a vigorous campaign” and said she looks “forward to our next contests in Indiana and North Carolina.”
