Obama Claims Super Tuesday Delegate Win

With delegate allocations still incomplete after last night's voting, Barack Obama claims to have taken a lead over Hillary Clinton in Super Tuesday delegates. Counts vary, but they all show the two candidates virtually tied. NBC gives Obama about 840 to Clinton's 830—“give or take a few,” Tim Russert said on the Today show this morning, Politico reports. NBC has the running totals for the two Democrats only about 70 delegates apart, Russert said.

AP's count shows Obama closing in on Clinton but not yet in the lead: The Illinois senator has 563 delegates in AP's most recent tally, to Hillary's 584, out of the 1,681 available yesterday. Including earlier states, AP gives Clinton 845 delegates, Obama 765; 2,025 are necessary to gain the nomination. The Obama campaign's own tally gives him 845 to Clinton's 836, for a to-date total of  908 for Obama, 884 for Clinton. (More Super Tuesday stories.)