BARACK Obama has gained more ground over his rival, Hillary Clinton, in the contest to win the Democratic nomination to run for US president.
Obama, the senator for Illinois, has won the primary in Wisconsin, and is also projected to take victory in Hawaii - his 10th win in a row.
This puts huge pressure on Clinton to win in Ohio and Texas next month.
John McCain won Wisconsin for the Republicans, boosting his front-runner status in his party's contest.
McCain is also projected to win a Republican primary in Washington state.
With 99% of precincts having reported in Wisconsin, Obama had 58% of the vote to Clinton's 41%.
The state has 74 Democratic delegates at stake. The Associated Press (AP) news agency said Obama was projected to win at least 38 of them, and Clinton 27, with nine still to be awarded.
Meanwhile, with 51% of precincts counted in Hawaii, where the Illinois senator was born, he had taken 76% of the vote, leading AP and CNN to project victory.
The state has 20 delegates up for grabs.
Seeking momentum
Wisconsin was a significant victory for Obama, eating into Clinton's support base.
It is a major disappointment for Clinton, the senator for New York, who had been hoping to restore momentum to her campaign.
Instead, Obama was reported to have gained almost equal support from white women, and to have polled well from working-class Democrats - both groups which have usually supported Clinton.
Obama also took the youth vote and six out of 10 self-described independent voters, according to exit polls for ABC.
But he and Clinton are already looking ahead to March's bigger contests in Ohio and Texas, seen by analysts as crucial to her credibility as a candidate.
Speaking at a victory rally in Houston, Texas, Obama said: "The change we seek is still months and miles away and we need to get all of Texas to help us get there."
Addressing a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Clinton said the primary campaign was "about picking a president who relies not just on words but on work - hard work to get America back to work".
Before the results from Wisconsin were calculated, Obama held a slight lead over Mrs Clinton, with 1,280 delegates to her 1,218.
It will take 2,025 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination at the party's national convention this summer. BBC/TZG
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