Obama sweeps Saturday primaries and caucuses

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., won all four primaries and caucuses held Saturday, defeating his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in Washington state, Nebraska, Louisiana and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Obama won by a wide margin in the caucuses held in Washington and Nebraska. In both states, Obama more than doubled the total of votes received by Clinton, winning 68 percent of the vote in both. With 68 percent of the vote in, Obama was leading the Louisiana primary, 53 percent to 39 percent. Obama also won almost 90 percent of the vote in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The wins were big for Obama, as they came right after a Super Tuesday that resulted in an effective tie for the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama hopes to win several states over the next few weeks, in order to secure front-runner status in the presidential election.

Maine will hold its caucuses on Sunday, and Tuesday will bring primaries in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.