'Bragging rights' go to both Dems

The Democratic presidential race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama sprinted through 22 states Tuesday and emerged as it was before: deadlocked.

Clinton was the projected winner in the biggest state, California, and also had victories in her home state of New York and neighboring New Jersey. She showed strength in "red" states by winning in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas, and in states with large Hispanic populations such as Arizona.

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Obama struck back by winning in 12 of the 22 states up for grabs, including the six holding voter-intensive caucuses rather than primaries. He won in all parts of the country, from Connecticut and Delaware to Utah and Idaho, along with his home state of Illinois. He won the Deep South states of Georgia and Alabama by huge margins.

Because 1,681 delegates at stake Tuesday were being apportioned based on the votes in states and congressional districts, neither candidate was headed for a breakout that could redefine the race. Clinton entered the night with 261 delegates to Obama's 202. They were less than 100 delegates apart early today, with hundreds more still to be divided.

Clinton was diplomatic in her victory speech Tuesday night in New York City. "I look forward to continuing our campaign and our debates about how to leave this country better off for the next generation," she said.

Obama was more pointed in Chicago, citing his rival's initial support for the war in Iraq and acceptance of campaign donations from lobbyists. "What began as a whisper has now swelled to a chorus that cannot be ignored," he said. "We are the hope of the future."

The two senators will head to Louisiana, Maine and Washington this weekend, then Virginia and Maryland next week.

Both camps could claim victory Tuesday: Obama by capitalizing on his recent momentum, Clinton by slowing his steady rise.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the first-term senator's path to the nomination did not depend on winning more delegates Tuesday. He said Obama had "an outstanding night. … We're going to come out of it in much better shape than we imagined." Obama raised $32 million in January and can spend freely in the states to come.

Clinton won among Hispanic voters, an influential bloc in many states voting Tuesday, while maintaining slim leads among whites and women, according to voter surveys. In California, she won among voters worried most about the economy or health care, those surveys showed. Obama won among those most concerned about the war in Iraq.

"They both have bragging rights," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, a Democratic congressional leader who worked in the White House for Bill Clinton and has remained neutral in the contest. "Both won in every region of the country."

Contributing: Martha T. Moore in Chicago