Declaring victory: Barack Obama in Saint Paul today (Reuters: Jeff Haynes)
Illinois Senator Barack Obama said America was witnessing "a moment that will define a generation" as he declared victory over rival Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential nominating race today.
Senator Obama won the nomination after the final primary votes in Montana and South Dakota, with US news network CNN saying its projections showed he had secured the 2,118 delegates he needs to make his victory official.
The win ends the often-bitter tussle with Senator Clinton, which had threatened to split the Democratic party in two, and sets him up to take on Republican presumptive nominee John McCain in November's election.
Senator Obama declared victory in a speech to supporters in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
"Tonight, I can stand here and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States," he told cheering supporters.
"Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America."
Senator Obama called his nominating win "a moment that will define a generation".
The polls in South Dakota closed at 11:00am AEST, with Montana following at midday.
Senator Clinton stopped short of admitting defeat, telling supporters at an emotional New York rally that "I will be making no decision tonight" but saying she is committed to uniting the Democratic Party ahead of November's presidential election.
The win means that Senator Obama will be the first African-American to run for US president.
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