After eight consecutive victories, including wins in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. last night, Senator Barack Obama has wrestled the advantage from former front-runner Senator Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination. Obama won with roughly three-quarters of the vote in the District of Columbia, and secured victory by two-thirds in Maryland and Virginia in what insiders’ have termed the Potomac Primaries. Perhaps most indicative of the momentum shift Obama has enjoyed in recent days is the Illinois senator’s capture of almost every voter demographic in the last three contests. According to CNN exit polling, Obama additionally won roughly 60 percent of female voters, a key demographic that had, up until now, largely played to Clinton’s advantage earlier in the Democratic race.

Tuesday night was additionally significant in that it propelled Obama to the lead of the pledged delegate count, marking the first time he has enjoyed such an advantage over Clinton since the beginning of the campaign. The race for the nomination remains extremely tight, however, as the Democratic Party allows its superdelegates - influential and leading party members - to cast votes for the candidate of their choice at the national convention. Although Clinton enjoys a significant lead in number of superdelegates supporting her campaign, there are indications that many are beginning to reevaluate their support following what insiders have viewed as a week of turmoil for the Clinton campaign. Clinton’s campaign manager - Patti Solis Doyle - was recently replaced by longtime aide Maggie Williams, and during last night’s primary coverage it was announced that deputy campaign manager Mike Henry had resigned. Today, Talking Points Memo additionally revealed that Crystal Patterson and Kevin Thurman - “two key players from the Hillary campaign’s internet team” - had also resigned.

Today, David Wilhelm, the national campaign manager for Bill Clinton in 1992, added his voice to the rising surge behind Obama, saying that “The only reason that this race appears to be closer than it actually is, is the number of superdelegates that bought into Senator Clinton’s inevitability early - too early, it seems.”

“She’s behind,” said James Carville, a leading supporter of Clinton and former chief strategist to her husband. “Make no mistake. If she loses either Texas or Ohio, this thing’s done.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, the voters will choose between Clinton and Obama in Hawaii and Wisconsin, and on March 4, an extraordinary 444 delegates are in play in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. A Rasmussen tracking poll released today places Obama ahead of Clinton on a national level, 46 percent to 41 percent, marking the first time that Obama has taken the national lead in this poll since announcing his candidacy. Today’s Gallup national poll similarly places Obama in the lead.

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Similar to Obama, Senator John McCain also scored a 3-point sweep on Tuesday, but unlike the senator from Illinois, McCain’s support was not nearly so decisive. Although McCain is virtually guaranteed the Republican nomination, he faces an uphill battle in convincing traditional conservatives that his past record and present positions are the right fit for the job. His last remaining adversary, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee landed significant - if only symbolic - support in the Potomac Primaries, especially in Virginia where he scored well with evangelical and rural voters. Current A.P. delegate projections place McCain at 821 and Huckabee at 241.