Maryland Democrats turned out in force to elect Barack Obama on Tuesday, helping push turnout to potentially the highest in the state in more than 15 years.
Voters braved icy roads and traffic jams, and treacherous weather prompted election officials to extend voting hours by 90 minutes, until 9:30 p.m.
The Associated Press declared Obama, an Illinois senator, and Arizona Sen. John McCain the winners just as the polls closed.
Black voters accounted for nearly four of 10 voters, and almost 90 percent supported Obama, AP exit polls showed, while white voters accounted for a little more than half of the turnout and were nearly split between Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“I vote every year, but this is a historical one, with a female candidate and an African-American candidate,” said Liz Fromm, a Catonsville resident who voted for Obama.
“I like what he stands for. I think that would mean a lot to the world.”
Scott Fellner, a self-employed Eldersburg resident, said he voted for Clinton but would be satisfied with Obama.
“It?s not like you?re voting for the lesser of two evils,” he said. “Both are pretty similar.”
The Democratic race between Obama and Clinton was expected to attract 44 percent of Democrats, while the more subdued contest between McCain and Mike Huckabee could bring 29percent of Republicans, said Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator for the State Board of Elections.
Goldstein said he expected a 39 percent turnout statewide, the highest since Bill Clinton ran against Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas and California Gov. Jerry Brown in 1992.
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, co-chairman of Obama?s Maryland campaign, called his candidate the underdog.
“We?re going to fight the fight as hard as we can because we?re going to change this country and change the world,” he said. “That?s not easy.”
Election judges marveled at the wide age range of voters, and many of those who cast ballots expressed disgust with the failing economy, shrinking middle class and continuing Iraq war.
Lori House, an election judge at St. Leo?s Church in Baltimore?s Little Italy, said: “We are seeing more people under 30; usually the average age is 82.”
Staff writers Matthew Santoni, Mike Silvestri, Jaime Malarkey, Luke Broadwater and Carolyn Peirce contributed to this article.
