Politics / Barack Obama Networks Call It: Obama Clinches He becomes the first black candidate for a major party By John Johnson, Newser Staff Posted Jun 3, 2008 8:11 PM CDT Copied Sue Anderson finishes voting Tuesday, June 3, 2008, at First Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., during the South Dakota primary. (AP Photo/Dave Eggen ) Barack Obama clinched the Democratic nomination tonight to become the first black candidate for president on a major-party ticket. Obama reached the necessary number of delegates—2,118—as the polls closed in South Dakota at 9pm EST, CNN reports. AP reported earlier today that Obama had clinched, but media outlets use different tallies. All the major networks have now called the race. (More Barack Obama stories.) Get breaking news in your inbox. What you need to know, as soon as we know it. Sign up Report an error