Clinton declared winner in N.M. caucus

SANTA FE, N.M., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York squeaked by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the New Mexico Democratic caucus, state party officials said Thursday.

Clinton received 73,105 votes of the qualified 149,779 votes cast Feb. 5, state Democratic Chairman Brian Colon said. Obama received 71,396 votes.

Thirty-eight pledged delegates were at stake.

"With these two Democratic candidates we had the largest voter turnout in decades," Colon said.

More than 158,000 ballots were cast in the caucus, of which 17,000 were provisional and needed to be qualified. Colon said "thousands upon thousands" of voters participated in the Democratic primary, including members of the Republican, Green, Independent and Bull Moose parties.

"They were sending a message to us -- they believed in our candidates," Colon said, adding that the Democratic Party would "welcome you to participate on Nov. 4," the date of the general election.