Obama says hopes of young, new voters won him Iowa

By Deborah Charles

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Barack Obama said on Friday his message of hope and change resonated with young people and sparked record numbers to help propel him past front-runner Hillary Clinton to win Iowa's Democratic caucus.

Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, said there had been skepticism that many people would actually participate in Thursday's Democratic caucus.

But lots of young people, independents and even Republicans did take part, helping him win the first-in-the-nation vote to pick a nominee for the November U.S. presidential race.

"So it really was a victory for the people of Iowa," Obama told reporters on a flight from Iowa to New Hampshire after his stunning victory over Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. "I think it's a harbinger of what's going to happen around the country."

Obama, 46, said his message of hope and a desire for change hit home with Iowans, encouraging many to vote for the first time.

"I really think that the country is interested not just in change in the abstract but in the very specific kind of change which involves them getting involved, paying attention, holding their elected officials accountable," he said. "That was reflected, I think, in the results."

'PRO-CHANGE VOTE'

Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod said the results showed that Iowans believed that Obama was much more likely to be able to bring about change in Washington than Clinton, the former first lady.

"I think it's a pro-change vote and she's not a change candidate," Axelrod said.

The enthusiastic, chanting crowd that poured into Hy-Vee hall in Des Moines for Obama's victory party were representative of what gave him the victory -- many young people but also middle-aged business people and lot of women.

Obama and his aides said that record turnout -- about 239,000 Democrats voted, up from 124,000 in 2004 -- and strong support among women and young people helped push him to victory.

Axelrod said Obama, who would become the first black president if he wins in November, beat Clinton among women by five percentage points. In addition, about 57 percent of voters under 29 years old voted for Obama and they represented 22 percent of the total vote.

Obama, who spent the last two weeks crisscrossing the state of Iowa, drew huge, enthusiastic crowds at campaign events that overflowed venues over the past few days.

His voice still hoarse after four and five rallies a day, Obama said he thought the victory in Iowa would give him momentum going forward in the rest of the primary process to pick a Democratic presidential nominee.

"I want to say thank you to the people of Iowa because I think they've sparked a potential movement for change in the country that will be inspiring for a lot of people," he said.

"It makes me very optimistic about the country. I think we can do it with the country as a whole," he said before heading to sleep on the flight to New Hampshire, where the next primary will be held in five days.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)