How it happened | Behind the scenes | McCain wins Republican race | Analysis: Clinton's prodigal coalition | Sketch

Hillary Clinton vowed that she would win the Democratic nomination today after securing desperately needed victories in Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas, a triple triumph that means her titanic struggle with Barack Obama will continue into the spring — and possibly to the nominating convention this summer.

"Ohio has written a new chapter in the history of this campaign and we're just getting started," she declared after arriving in a storm of confetti at a party for wildly celebrating supporters in the state capital of Columbus.

Her win in the big, blue-collar state halted Mr Obama's momentum after his 12 straight victories and threw doubts over whether he would after all emerge as the Democratic nominee from their epic and historically charged race.

Expert View

By choosing the right man for the White House, Americans can salvage the inspiring idea of the US

Matthew Parris

• More

• Post a comment

Related Links

• Not how many delegates, but how good

• Clinton's prodigal coalition

• Obama left winded as crowds roar Clinton back

Multimedia

• Audio slideshow

• Blog: how the night unfolded

• Full US elections coverage

A couple of hours later, news organisations declared her the victor in a close battle for Texas, the other big state voting yesterday. Mr Obama's campaign was swift to point out that it is still virtually impossible for her to catch him in elected delegates.

With a third of the Texas delegates being picked by post-primary caucuses — which he was leading by 55 to 44 per cent as counting closed for the night — Mr Obama's three-figure lead is unlikely to be dented significantly. It could even be extended further with anticipated victories over the coming days in Mississippi and Wyoming.

According to a near-complete vote count, Mrs Clinton won about 55 per cent of the vote in Ohio. She was winning just over 50 per cent in the Texas primary and carried Rhode Island with a convincing 58 per cent of the vote.

Despite losing to Mr Obama in Vermont, the results showed that she had clearly earned the right to carry on campaigning into the next big contest in Pennsylvania on April 22 and beyond.

"Everybody who has ever been counted out and refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled and stood right back up and for everybody who works hard and never gives up — this one's for you," she said.

"We're going on, we're going strong and we're going all the way!" The crowd erupted in chants of "Yes, she will". She pointed out that Ohio was regarded as a crucial bellwether of opinion:

"You know what they say, 'As Ohio goes, so goes the nation'. Well, this nation is coming back — and so is this campaign."

Last night's votes had been an opportunity for Mr Obama to close the deal for the Democratic nomination. But, even though she was out-spent by her opponent by a factor of two to one, she has once more prised the race open.

Times Recommends

• Please help: maimed children of war want their lives back
• Cabal seizes diamond riches to buy power
• White House gatecrashers got to the president