Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., acknowledges applause at a campaign rally, Saturday in Bangor, Maine
Democratic Senator Barack Obama has swept rival Senator Hillary Clinton in three of their party's presidential nominating contests held Saturday.
Obama won by margins of roughly two-to-one in the midwestern state of Nebraska, the southern state of Louisiana, and Washington state on the U.S. west coast).
Obama and Clinton are in a very tight race for the Democratic Party nomination, with more contests today in Maine, and Tuesday in Virginia, Maryland and the U.S capital, Washington, D.C.
In a speech late Saturday in Virginia's capital, Richmond, Obama said he has shown that he can win in various parts of the country.
John McCain speaks at an airport rally in Wichita, Kansas, 8 Feb 2008
In Republican Party contests Saturday, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won the midwestern state of Kansas with 60 percent of the vote, ahead of Arizona Senator John McCain, who had 24 percent.
Nationwide, Huckabee is trailing far behind McCain, who has won more state races and has more of the delegates needed to secure the nomination.
The Republican race in Washington state is too close to call, with McCain, Huckabee and Texas Representative Ron Paul very close in early results.
Incomplete results in the Louisiana primary show Huckabee with a slight lead.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois and 2008 US presidential candidate has swept all three of today's Democratic contests, two caucuses in Nebraska and Washington and the primary in Louisiana. Obama also won the tiny United States territory of the United States Virgin Islands.

Obama won nearly 30% more over opponent Hillary Clinton in the Nebraska caucuses. Obama also had a major lead over Clinton in the Washington caucuses by a 2-1 margin. Commentators have noted that Obama seems to perform well in caucus states. 

Louisiana's Democratic primary was also won by Obama in a large margin, winning nearly 53% of the vote over Clinton's 39%. The state, which is still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina three years later could play a large role in the election this year.

Despite these wins it is still a close and race between the two Democratic candidates, with Obama showing a lead in pledged delegates, and Hillary Clinton showing a narrow lead when super delegates are taken into account.  Each candidate needs to win the support of 2,025 delegates to secure the nomination.

After the voting and caucusing ended yesterday both candidates gave a speech at the Democratic Party's Jefferson and Jackson Dinner in Virginia- Clinton giving her standard stump speech and refusing to talk about what had happened during the day; Obama repeating many of the things he had said earlier in his "Yes We Can" speech, this time with detailed policy proposals as well as "hope-mongering".

The two candidates were in Maine today doing last minute campaigning before tomorrow's Democratic caucuses there and are also preparing for the "Potomac primary"  which will involve the nation's capital of Washington, D.C. and the bordering states of Maryland and Virginia to be held on February 12.