NEW YORK: - Barack Obama, a first time U.S. senator, won among Democrats and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee beat his Republican rivals Thursday in the Iowa presidential caucuses.

Both men portrayed themselves as "Washington outsides" who would change the way the government is run.

In the first 2008 presidential nominating exercise in Des Moines, Obama, son of a Kenyan father and white American mother, out-polled Sen. Hillary Clinton, Democrat of New York, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, winning 38 percent support among caucus goers.

"You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days," Obama told supporters as he claimed victory. "You have done what America can do this year, in 2008. Our time for change has come."

Edwards and Mrs. Clinton spoke of change as they congratulated Obama.

Edwards said the Iowa outcome showed that "the status quo lost and change won."

"Today we're sending a clear message that we are going to have change," said Clinton, "and that change will be a Democratic president in the White House in 2009."

Huckabee, a Baptist preacher-turned politician, had the support of 34 percent of Republican caucus goers with 86 percent of precincts reporting.

He beat former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney despite being dramatically outspent by Romney, a wealthy venture capitalist.

"People really are more important than the purse," said Huckabee in claiming victory, "and what a great lesson for America to learn."

"A new day is needed in American politics, just like a new day is needed in American government," Huckabee told his supporters. "It starts here, but it doesn't end here."
"You win the silver in one event it doesn't mean you're not going to come back and win the gold in another event, and that we are going to do," said Romney, alluding to his experience running the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Two prominent Democratic senators -- Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut -- announced they were ending their campaigns for the presidential nomination.
Despite the cold weather, Iowa caucus goers came out in strong numbers at nearly 1,800 precincts, CNN reported.
Analysts said Obama's win in an overwhelmingly white state is a great triumph as he tries to become the first African-American president of the United States.
Iowa is the first state contest on the road to the party nominations and the official start of what is expected to be the longest White House race in history.
While the state is tiny and the voter numbers low, political analysts say Iowa matters because it can make or break a candidate's chances in the other 49 states.
"If you can't make the top three on either side in Iowa, you can't get the party nomination," Terry Branstas, a former Republican governor of Iowa said.
In fact, since 1976, nearly every serious presidential candidate has come to Iowa and tried to win in the state.
In total, Iowa has picked the eventual Democratic presidential nominee in 5 of the past 7 competitive caucuses and the eventual Republican nominee in 3 of the past 5 competitive caucuses.
Historically, the Iowa caucus is commonly recognized the first major event of the U.S. presidential election year. The Iowa caucus does not result directly in national delegates for each candidate. Instead, caucus-goers elect delegates to county conventions, who elect delegates to district and state conventions where the national convention delegates are selected.
A candidate who has the most number of supporters among elected national convention delegates in Iowa is considered winner of the caucus in the state.
The Republicans and Democrats hold their own set of caucuses subject to their own particular rules that change from time to time.