HAGATNA, Guam — Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton by seven votes in the Guam Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday. The count of more than 4,500 ballots took all night.

AP

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., helps his daughter, Sasha, roller skate Saturday.

Neither candidate campaigned in the U.S. island territory in person, but both did long-distance media interviews and bought campaign ads for the caucuses.

Results of the count completed this morning Guam time show delegates pledged to Obama with 2,264 votes to 2,257 for Clinton’s slate. That means they’ll split the pledged delegate votes. Obama’s slate won in 14 of 21 districts.

Clinton issued a statement Saturday night promising, “I will continue to champion the issues facing the people of Guam, and when I’m president I will ensure that hard-working families of Guam have the resources and the opportunity to succeed.” Obama’s campaign had no immediate reaction to the results.

Eight pledged delegates will attend the convention, each with one-half vote.

U.S. citizens on the island, however, have no vote in the November election.

The territory also sends five superdelegates to the National Convention in August in Denver.

Voters picked two of the superdelegates, electing uncommitted Pilar Lujan party chairman and Jaime Paulina vice chairman. Paulina ran as an Obama supporter.

One other existing superdelegate has favored Clinton and the votes of the other two have not been declared.

The Guam caucuses added two pledged delegates apiece for Clinton and Obama. The vote for party chairman and vice chairman also added a superdelegate for

Obama and subtracted one for Clinton because the outgoing vice chair had endorsed the New York senator.

Obama had a total of 1,742.5 delegates, including endorsements from party and elected officials who will serve as superdelegates. Clinton had 1,607.5 delegates, according to The Associated Press tally.

It will take 2,025 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination at the party’s national convention this summer in Denver.

All-day voting Saturday had people lining up at 21 caucus sites around the U.S. territorial island, which has unexpected importance in a historic Democratic race in which every delegate matters.

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