OBAMA victories in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, Mr McCain was quickly running out of ways to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Mr Obama lost to Mrs Clinton in the Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, and the state was also at the centre of his only gaffe of the campaign, when he told a San Francisco fundraiser that economic frustrations had made small-town Pennsylvania voters "bitter" and driven them to "cling to guns or religion".

Despite this, he won the support of the state's voters tonight, giving him a significant boost in the race for the White House.

Later, Mr Obama won Rhode Island, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York as expected, projections showed.

Mr McCain won North Dakota, Wyoming and Alabama.

The latest results took Mr Obama's total to 174 electoral votes, compared with 49 for Mr McCain.

Keep up to date with all the news as the results come in, and click here to read M.E.N Chief Reporter David Ottwell's take on the situation .