WASHINGTON POST: AUGUSTA, Maine — Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses Sunday, grabbing a majority of delegates as the state’s Democrats
overlooked the snowy weather and turned out in heavy numbers for municipal gatherings. Democrats in 420 Maine towns and cities were deciding how the state’s 24 delegates will be allotted at the party’s national convention in August. Despite the weather, turnout was “incredible,” party executive director Arden Manning said. With 70 percent of the participating precincts reporting, Obama led in state delegates elected over Clinton, 1,564 to 1,122, with 17 uncommitted. Organizers had expected heavy participation at the caucuses, but up to 8 inches of snow and Arctic cold were expected when many of
the gatherings were scheduled. Even so, Democrats started Sunday with more than 4,000 absentee ballots in hand. Manning said the weather wouldn’t hurt turnout. In Bangor, the caucus started late because so many people showed up that they were lined up outside the door, he said. In Portland, waterlogged Democrats carrying “Obama” and “Hillary” signs waited to get into the citywide caucus at Portland High School in separate lines that snaked nearly three city blocks in opposite directions. MORE
RELATED: Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton replaced campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with longtime aide Maggie Williams on Sunday, engineering a shake-up in a presidential campaign struggling to overcome rival Sen. Barack Obama’s financial and political strengths. The surprise announcement came hours after Obama’s 
sweep of three contests Saturday and shortly before the Illinois senator won caucuses in Maine on Sunday. Determined to stem the tide, Clinton turned to a longtime confidante to manage her operations while the campaign acknowledged that she made a private visit to North Carolina this week to seek the endorsement of former rival John Edwards. Campaign aides said Solis Doyle made the decision to leave on her own and was not urged to do so by the former first lady or any other senior member of the team. But it comes as Clinton struggles to catch Obama in fundraising and momentum and faces the prospect of losing every voting contest yet to come in February. MORE
SORTA RELATED: Barack Obama topped a Clinton in another contest on Sunday — the Grammys. The presidential candidate beat both former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter to win best spoken word album for his audio version of his book “The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.” Clinton was nominated for his book “Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World” and Carter for “Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World.” Also nominated was Maya Angelou and Alan Alda. MORE