Senator Barack Obama, the first African-American nominee for president, drew more support in Tuesday’s election than any recent candidates of the Democratic Party among a broad range of demographic groups, including several that typically favor Republicans.

Promising change to a country now in recession, Mr. Obama built a coalition that included majorities of women, independent voters, political moderates, Hispanics, African-Americans, people of most income groups and education levels and voters under age 45, according to nationwide surveys of voters leaving the polls on Tuesday and telephone interviews of some people who had voted early.

From The New York Times