Barack Obama was heading for victory over fellow senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary caucus in Hawaii as early results showed him a convincing winner in the state where he grew up, reported dpa. According to CNN, Obama held a 77-23 percent lead over Clinton with 8 per cent of the vote counted. The Hawaii victory came after the first term senator defeated Clinton in a primary race in Wisconsin to take a clear lead in the race for the Democratic nomination and leave Clinton needing dramatic victories in the primaries to be held in next month in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania. Obama also eked out a 50 to 47 victory in the Democratic primary in Washington state, with 54 per cent of the vote counted. However, results in Washington essentially serve only as an opinion poll, as the party will allocate its 97 delegates based on the results of the February 9 caucuses which Obama also won.
