Barack Obama Iowa Convention

Barack Obama was officially awarded 7 more delegates today at the Iowa convention. His national lead in delegates against Clinton is now about 125.

By: Mary Couchman
Mar 15, 2008, 10:34 PM EDT

Barack Obama picked up most of the delegates that former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards won. The Illinois senator has increased his total delegate win over Hillary Clinton to 7 delegates from the Iowa convention.

"We both fought as hard as we could here, and it looks like we could have very significant gains," David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager said.

Plouffe said that based on his campaign's research, Clinton lost a delegate.

The 7 Iowa delegate increase for Obama is basically equal to how many delegates Clinton won out of Ohio. It's a major win for him and could be a sign of clearer things to come at other state conventions in terms of how Edwards delegates move. Clinton now has to really worry about holding on to her delegates at the Nevada and Texas conventions.

Obama will end up with 23 delegates, Clinton with 16, and Edwards/Uncommitted with 6. His national lead in delegates against Clinton was about 125 after Saturday's conventions. Nearly half of Edwards' delegates defected, mostly to Obama. Half stayed with Edwards, saying they would wait to see if he endorsed either Obama or Clinton.

In Iowa, the county conventions are the second step in the complex process by which the Democratic Party chooses national delegates.