Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Obama : Grandmother’s death makes final day of campaigning ‘bittersweet’
|
Published: November 4, 2008
Oklahoman
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Barack Obama called the last day of his presidential race "bittersweet.” He carried himself with the confidence of a candidate who sensed victory after an intense, two-year campaign and learned that the woman who helped raise him wouldn’t get to see the outcome.
Sen. Barack Obama
Multimedia
Related content
NewsOK Related Articles
-
Voting problems reported on Tuesday, but one woman said the ordeal was still worth it
11/04/2008 They ran out of “I voted” stickers at Midwest City’s Restoration Church this morning, but after the ordeal that Catera Moore had been through to cast...
-
Oklahoma County residents urged to "vote and vax"
11/04/2008 Health department officials are urging residents to “vote and vax” today.
Those tasks will be convenient for Oklahoma City residents who vote near the...
-
What was it like voting on Tuesday?
11/04/2008 Did you vote today? Tell us about your experience at your polling place.
-
Oklahoma voters brave lines to be a part of history
11/04/2008 Ryan Neel has a pretty good explanation for why he and so many other voters are willing to wait in long lines to cast a ballot. Neel, 35, of Oklahoma City...
-
What's on the ballot
11/04/2008 What’s on the ballot The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Here’s a list of what you can expect to see on the ballot today:...
-
Free food, drink may await residents who vote today
11/04/2008 At least three major chains are offering free food and drink today to Oklahoma voters. All anyone has to have is an "I voted” sticker from their...
-
What’s at stake in TODAY’S election
11/04/2008 President Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are on the ballot in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Independent Ralph Nader is on 44...
-
An hour-by-hour guide helps those keeping score
11/04/2008 WASHINGTON — Election watchers won’t have to wait for polls to close in the West to know how things are going. The first clues will come when...
-
Could voting meltdown repeat itself?
11/04/2008 In 2000, the presidential election was marred by hanging chads in Florida. Four years later, it was malfunctioning machines in Ohio. With record numbers of...
-
McCain: In march across 7 states, he tells supporters to keep fighting
11/04/2008 INDIANAPOLIS — John McCain often tells campaign audiences he doesn’t hide from history. He surely didn’t on Monday, undertaking an...
-
Will voting hit a record today in Oklahoma?
11/04/2008 If the turnout for in-person absentee voting the past three days is any indication, Oklahomans appear headed today to break the record voter turnout set four...
-
New president likely faces debt, recession
11/04/2008 WASHINGTON — The government, raising cash to pay for the array of financial rescue packages, said Monday it plans to borrow $550 billion in the last...
As the first black Democratic presidential nominee began Monday in a Florida hotel room, he got word that his grandmother Madelyn Dunham had died at the apartment in Honolulu where he lived with her as a child. He went ahead with his campaign plans, grieving privately for several hours before breaking into tears in front of 25,000 people gathered in the rain for a rally at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
"She’s gone home,” Obama said as the rowdy group of supporters grew silent and tears ran down both cheeks. "And she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side. And so there is great joy as well as tears.”
It was a unique personal moment in a long campaign that frequently turned ugly and, for Obama, has been an uphill struggle. He entered the primary race as the underdog against Hillary Rodham Clinton, and faced persistent questions about whether he was qualified.
Exuding confidence
Obama’s election eve schedule reflected his confidence that victory could be in his grasp. Obama didn’t appear before voters until after 11 a.m., the first of just three events for the day.
Before that, he did radio interviews from the hotel room, then he headed out in sweat pants and a ball cap for a gym workout.
Obama focused on voters in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia — on offense in Republican red states, energetic but not as aggressive as McCain.
News Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
