Clinton takes Ohio, Texas primaries; Obama cites delegates

(CNN) -- Hillary Clinton took the most votes in two pivotal Democratic primary contests on Tuesday, scoring wins in Texas and Ohio that were considered critical to keeping alive her White House hopes, CNN projects.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting in Ohio, Clinton had 54 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for Sen. Barack Obama. CNN made the projection based on those results and exit polling data.

The race was closer in Texas where, with 99 percent of precincts in, Clinton had 51 percent to Obama's 48 percent.

And a complicated formula in Texas that weighs delegates more heavily in highly populated areas and includes a caucus that was still being tallied early Wednesday morning meant that the delegate count there remained unclear.

Regardless, the two wins were crucial for Clinton, whose campaign would have been hard-put to continue if Obama won big on Tuesday.

"For everyone across America who has been counted out but refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up and for everyone who works hard and never gives up, this one is for you," Clinton said to a cheering crowd in Columbus, Ohio. Watch Clinton thank backers »

After a month of losses to Obama, Clinton had been expected to poll well in Ohio -- where the blue-collar workers who have consistently supported her throughout the campaign make up a large chunk of the Democratic base.

But with polls showing the Ohio contest neck-and-neck in the days leading up to the primary, Clinton got a boost from female voters and those who only recently made up their minds.

According to CNN exit polling, an impressive 59 percent of the voters in the state's Democratic primary were women. And those female voters favored Clinton over Obama, 58 percent to 40 percent.

In the past week, Clinton sharpened her attacks on Obama -- questioning whether he has enough experience to lead the nation and attempting to cast doubt on his opposition to international trade agreements that many in Ohio feel have led to job losses in the country.

Poll results suggest it may have worked. Among those polled, an overwhelming 64 percent of those who decided their vote in the last three days chose Clinton.

Clinton was believed to need strong performances -- if not outright victories -- in Tuesday's contests in both Ohio and Texas to halt Obama's momentum in the race and stay alive in the hunt for the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination.

Earlier Tuesday, Obama ran a string of consecutive victories to 12 with a lopsided win in Vermont. With 86 percent of precincts reporting, he led Clinton 60 percent to 38 percent.

But Clinton snapped that streak in Rhode Island. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton had taken 58 percent of the vote to Obama's 40 percent.

Speaking in San Antonio, Texas, Obama told supporters that he expects to hold a similar lead over Clinton after Tuesday's races to the one he held before.

"We know this -- no matter what happens tonight, we have nearly the same delegate lead we had this morning and we are on the way to winning this nomination," he said to cheers and chants of his trademark phrase, "Yes we can." Watch an excerpt of Obama's speech to supporters »

With Texas' delegates still to be awarded, Clinton had picked up 22 delegates on Obama after results in Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont were tallied.

Obama entered the day holding just over a 100-delegate lead, with 1,369 pledged delegates and superdelegates to Clinton's 1,267, according to CNN estimates.

In Ohio, harsh weather and balloting problems stretched the polling well into the evening.

With polls slated to close at 7:30 p.m., state elections officials decided to extend voting until 9 p.m. in in northern Ohio's Sandusky County.

The area was hit by freezing rain for much of the day, and ballot shortages were reported in the Cleveland and Columbus areas -- also causing the polls to be open until 9 p.m.

Texas, with its 193 Democratic delegates, and Ohio, with 141, are the biggest prizes in Tuesday's four contests. There were 15 Democratic delegates at stake in Vermont and 21 in Rhode Island.

Obama began the day with momentum on his side, thanks to his string of 11 straight victories in contests dating back nearly a month.

"The real measurement tonight ... is not whether or not Hillary Clinton can win Ohio or Texas," said Sen. John Kerry, an Obama supporter. "It's whether she wins by a large enough margin to win the nomination. She has to win by a very big number for the math to work over the course of the next week."

'Texas Two-Step'

Texas' results may not be as easy to measure as counting votes, either.

In what pundits have been calling the "Texas Two-Step," the state's Democratic Party hosts both a primary election, in which 126 delegates are awarded, and a post-election caucus in which another 67 are handed out.

It's possible for the loser of the primary to win more delegates with a strong showing in the caucuses. And Texas' method of awarding delegates in the primary -- with more delegates coming from large population centers like Houston, Dallas and Austin -- further complicates the matter.

As polling places closed Tuesday evening, Texans were reportedly lining up in bigger-than-expected numbers for the caucuses -- in some places lining up in parking lots and overflowing buildings where caucuses were held.

A CNN I-reporter in Houston reported hundreds of people at his polling place -- saying he had to wait for over an hour just to sign in.

In Austin, about 800 people showed up -- far outstripping expectations and causing organizers to stand on top of tables and yell to organize caucus-goers, one voter said.

In early returns from those caucuses, Obama had the edge. With 36 percent of votes counted, Obama had 52 percent of support compared to 48 percent for Clinton.

Clinton supporters were saying a strong performance of any sort would keep her campaign alive. Weeks ago, former President Clinton had predicted his wife would need wins in both Texas and Ohio to stay in the race.

"If Hillary Clinton gets out a small win in Ohio and Texas, it will be like Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow," said political adviser and Clinton supporter Paul Begala, referring to the six more weeks of winter the groundhog is said to predict.

The Obama campaign, however, pointed to math they say will make it difficult for Clinton to overcome Obama's lead.

"They've had a really bad run and they have to rationalize continuing," said Obama spokesman David Axelrod. "We've won more popular votes and more delegates, and they have to give some rationale for staying in this race." E-mail to a friend

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