Democrat Barack Obama, who staged a surprising win in the state's Democratic primary by defeating neighboring Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, claimed Connecticut's seven electoral votes Tuesday by easily vanquishing John McCain.
The call was based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
Obama, the first-term Illinois senator who is bidding to become the nation's first black president, held a 56 percent to 31 percent lead over McCain in an Oct. 26 poll of likely voters conducted by the University of Connecticut. Neither candidate campaigned in Connecticut since before the state primary as Obama was expected to win easily.
"He's the clear choice," said unaffiliated voter Louis Elmo, a 66-year-old insurance broker as he left a precinct in Milford. "He has a plan to get out of Iraq."
If McCain wins, he said, "It will be a continuation of the last presidency."
Jean Charles, a retired machine worker in New Britain, said he voted for Obama because he believes that he will be counseled by the Clintons, who led the nation's prosperity in the 1990s.
"I think Obama is a good listener," said Charles, 67. "I think he will follow Mrs. Clinton's ideals."
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Obama defeated Clinton 51 percent to 47 percent in the February primary, a win that came despite polls suggesting Connecticut was leaning toward the New York senator.
Much of Obama's support in that race came from voters who described themselves as moderate and independent-leaning, a voting bloc that both Obama and McCain courted for Tuesday's election.
McCain, the 26-year Arizona senator whose mettle was tested during 5½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, had his supporters as well.
"We're in a tough time right now and there are a lot of things going on internationally and certainly domestically," said Tom Aceto, 63, a retired optician and registered Republican in Norwich. "I think it is very important to get our guy in. And I think our guy's McCain. I just think he has more experience."
