Augusta, Maine: The snowy weather on Sunday failed to chill the spirits of voters, who turned in heavy numbers to vote in favor of Sen. Barack Obama against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses. The Democrats in 420 Maine towns and cities voted to decide how the state's 24 delegates will be allotted at the party's national convention in August.  
    
According to the reports, grabbing a majority of delegates as the state's Democrats, Barack Obama has defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses Sunday.

With 99 percent of the participating precincts reporting, Obama led in state delegates elected over Clinton, 2,079 to 1,396, with 18 uncommitted. He had won 59 percent of the delegates to the state party convention to Clinton's 41 percent, allowing the Illinois senator to claim a weekend sweep of nominating contests after wins in three states and the US Virgin Islands on Saturday. The last caucuses were expected to wrap up by 8 p.m. in Maine.

Addressing a crowd of 18,000 on Sunday evening in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Obama, pepped up by his recent victories in Maine and elsewhere, said, “We won by a sizable margin in Maine and I want to thank the people of Maine. We have now won on the Atlantic Coast, we have won on the Gulf Coast, we have won on the Pacific Coast, and we have won the places in between those coasts.”

Under a system that rewards delegates proportionally, Obama has earned 15 to Clinton's 9 with his win. The New England win gives Obama lead over Clinton in pledged delegates to the convention, but Clinton still has a narrow edge over Obama when "superdelegates" -- elected officials and party leaders -- are included in the tally.

Overall, Clinton leads with 1,136, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates, and Obama has 1,108.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton has replaced Patti Solis Doyle, who led her campaign since it began last year and whom she regarded almost as an adopted daughter. In her place, she named another longtime aide, Maggie Williams, and announced her campaign on Sunday.

Statement from Clinton's campaign said, "Although the next several states that hold nominating contests this month are more favorable to the Obama campaign, we will continue to compete in them and hope to secure as many delegates as we can before the race turns to Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania."

These states have high concentrations of voters who have been strong Clinton supporters -- Latinos in Texas, and blue-collar workers in Ohio and Pennsylvania, but only time will what more surprises Obama has stored for her.