Raleigh， NC

May 6， 2008

You know， some were saying that North Carolina would be a game？changer in this election. But today， what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington， DC.

I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on her victory in the state of Indiana. And I want to thank the people of North Carolina for giving us a victory in a big state， a swing state， and a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

When this campaign began， Washington didn t give us much of a chance. But because you came out in the bitter cold， and knocked on doors， and enlisted your friends and neighbors in this cause； because you stood up to the cynics， and the doubters， and the nay？sayers when we were up and when we were down； because you still believe that this is our moment， and our time， for change tonight we stand less than two hundred delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

More importantly， because of you， we have seen that it s possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction； that it s possible to overcome the same old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems. We ve seen that the American people aren t looking for more spin or more gimmicks， but honest answers about the challenges we face. That s what you ve accomplished in this campaign， and that s how we ll chang