After five months of campaigning in every state and territory in the nation, the race for the Democratic nomination is finally over and Illinois Senator Barack Obama has won the nomination over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Clinton will concede the nomination and endorse Obama on Saturday.
The final contests were held Tuesday in Montana and South Dakota, with Obama earning enough delegates in either state to secure the 2,118 needed for the nomination.
In his victory remarks, Obama said the nomination was a "defining moment for our nation," and that he had "learned" from his opponents during the campaign.
His most prominent opponent has been Hillary Clinton, who, Obama said, "inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight."
And with a final win in South Dakota, Clinton thanked her supporters in New York and rallied them to unite behind the nominee and "take back the White House this November."
"In the coming days, I'll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way," she said.
Clinton's campaign suffered a setback last Saturday when the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee ruled to reinstate half of Michigan and Florida's delegates.
While Clinton won both states, her campaign had hoped to reduce the delegate gap between her and Obama by having a full delegation seated. Under that plan, Obama would have received no delegate support from Michigan, where he removed his name from the ballot.
Following the decision, Clinton supporters in the audience shouted, "Denver! Denver! Denver!" alluding to a hope among some that she would continue the race to the party convention in Denver, Colorado in late August.
However, Clinton will concede on Saturday, and Democratic Party leaders seem ready to move toward the general election. Even her most loyal surrogates, including Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, now acknowledge Obama as the party's nominee.
Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has already begun to directly engage Obama on critical issues like Iraq and the economy.
"No matter who wins this election, the direction of this country is going to change dramatically," McCain told supporters in Louisiana. "But, the choice is between the right change and the wrong change; between going forward and going backward."
In many ways, McCain signaled his departure from some Bush administration policies, and has adopted a "change" mantra similar to Obama's.
According to St. Joseph's University history professor and political analyst Randall Miller, McCain will argue that he has the "experience to change" Washington, an echo of Clinton's message during the primaries.
This is no accident, said Miller, as McCain "believes he can get" Clinton's supporters in the wake of her loss to Obama.
Clinton's coalition, made up of the white working-class, the elderly, Hispanics and women, is now seen as a major swing group for the general election. Obama, Miller said, does not have to have them all for a victory, but "must get enough of them" to win in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Based on recent comments by Clinton, an offer of the vice-presidency may be one way to ensure the support of her voters.
There's "a lot of resentment" from her supporters, Miller said, and many view Obama with "suspicion."
But Obama could also run the risk of hypocrisy by selecting Clinton - who is seen as representative of Washington-style politics - after running on a message of change.
Even at Penn, party unity with Clinton supporters is a message the Penn Democrats are attempting to make.
College junior Lauren Burdette, president of the Penn Dems - who endorsed Obama this spring - said that she will "absolutely" reach out to Penn for Hillary members in the fall for the general election.
Burdette said each supporter needs to make an "individual decision" about getting involved, but hopes that Democrats will come together.
Burdette said that in the fall, the Penn Dems will implement a three-part campaign effort focused on registering new voters, educating students on the issues through debates with the College Republicans and doing hands-on campaign work for Obama in the region.
