Edwards, Clinton vie for second-place prize

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2008 | by Kathy Kiely

DES MOINES -- Barack Obama, the only African-American in the Senate, was declared the winner of Iowa's Democratic caucuses Thursday night, according to the Associated Press.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards were fighting for second, with stronger-than-expected turnout appearing to be a key factor in the first contest of this year's presidential campaign.

Local pollsters and political analysts were projecting record participation for the caucuses, a traditional party-organizing tool that generally attracts Democratic stalwarts. The turnout record was set in 2004, when 122,000 Iowans caucused for Democrats, according to state party records.

This year, Democratic Party officials were stockpiling extra registration forms to accommodate the...