It appears the independent vote in Iowa may have propelled Sen. Barack Obama to a Democratic Iowa caucus victory Thursday -- entrance polls 57 percent of Dem caucus-goers were there for the first time, and 41 percent of those first-timers went for Obama.

That's good news for a campaign that now will rely on that same voting bloc for a similar outcome in New Hampshire.

"Wins in Iowa and New Hampshire would be a great start," Obama's Iowa co-chair Gordon Fischer said. "If you can win those states back-to-back, that is something to feel good about."

The Obama camp was still reveling in its Iowa victory today. Not only were they celebrating the win, but there was also an excitement created by the senator's margin of victory (nearly eight points ahead of John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton).

"The Clintons aren't going down without a fight," Fischer said. "They never have, and they never will."

But at least for one night, that is a fight Obama, who energized caucus-goers for more than 11 months, will relish and savor.

"We went up against excellent candidates and won big," Fischer said. "Hillary Clinton is so established and has so much support, and John Edwards has lived here for six years."

Though Fischer admits he wasn't privy to internal polling, at his wishes, he noticed a change from the Clinton camp in the days leading up to the caucus coming.

"The Clinton campaign went from the inevitability candidate to tampering down expectations. I have never seen anything like it. It was a case of going from inevitability to survivability. It is difficult to change on a dime like that."

Labels: Democrats