ALBANY, N.Y. -- Barack Obama's landslide victory in South Carolina on Saturday leaves little doubt the Illinois Senator has wide-spread appeal. He walked away with 55 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton trailed him by a wide margin, taking 27 percent. John Edwards got 18 percent of the vote.
Here at home, supporters on both sides are getting fired up with just little more than a week to go until Super Tuesday. These Barack Obama supporters say the win in South Carolina was more than they even hoped for.
"I'm inspired. I could go on all day about what I like about Barack Obama, but it all boils down to the inspiration and the hope for change that he strikes me with," said Albany resident Terrence Rusch.
Barack Obama won by a landslide in South Carolina on Saturday, but he and his chief rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, are split after the first four major contests. Locally, supporters for both Obama and Clinton are ramping up with little more than a week to go until Super Tuesday. Our Jessica Mokhiber reports.
"He just got majorities of everybody. I think he has the best analysis of the problems in the country and he wants to bring all Americans together to solve these problems," said West Sand Lake resident Joanne Ruppel.
At the local offices of Obama's chief rival, Hillary Clinton, volunteers say Clinton wasn't planning on winning South Carolina and now she is focusing her efforts on Super Tuesday.
"It's just one state and now we have 22 states including Guam coming up on February 5th and I think she'll have a lot of strength there and just like what happened in New Hampshire, she bounces back," said Columbia County resident Karen Feldman.
"I think she's a strong leader. She tries to compromise when she has to. She consolidates people's opinions when she has to and she tries to lead by consensus., said Albany resident Peter Cristo.
Both Obama and Clinton are looking ahead of Super Tuesday. Obama is focusing on Georgia and Alabama and Clinton spent Saturday night in Tennessee. Monday she'll make a stop in Connecticut.
Locally, volunteers for both Obama and Clinton say they have a long road ahead and they'll continue going door to door and rallying in support of the candidates they're backing.