The Democratic Party held races in Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington on Saturday, and Senator Barack Obama claimed victory in all three states. He also won in the Virgin Islands, according to CNN.com.

The wins were crucial for Obama because they narrowed Senator Hillary Clinton’s lead in the number of delegates. CNN estimates that Clinton has 1,083 delegates, and Obama now has 1,009 delegates. One of them must obtain 2,025 delegates to clinch the Democratic Party’s nomination.

While the Obama campaign and its supporters are certainly celebrating, some Democrats are worried. If the race between Obama and Clinton remains close, then it is conceivable that neither candidate would win enough delegates for the nomination. The party’s 800 superdelegates, various party leaders, would then decide on a candidate. Many criticize this method as elitist and undemocratic, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi insists that it is fair. She claims that the delegates are “attuned to what’s happening in their states and in their districts” and will represent the people.

Democrats also worry about Florida and Michigan. Both states were stripped of their delegates for holding early primaries, and Senator Clinton won the primaries in both states. Clinton wants those delegations seated at the convention, but others protest. They consider her request unfair since the decision to strip delegates was made prior to the primaries and prompted Obama and other candidates to refrain from heavy campaigning in those states.

The worries keep piling on. Some believe that the race is so close that a long, costly campaign is inevitable. Clinton has raised $8 million online since Super Tuesday. Senator Obama had raised $7.2 million by Thursday.

And as the national media keeps reminding us, the lack of party unity could be the biggest problem for Democrats. Mike Huckabee is still in the Republican race, but insiders and the media have informally declared Senator John McCain as the Republican nominee. Democrats worry that their frontrunners are still fighting with each other while the Republicans are already poised to focus their attacks on the other party. There seems to be a legitimate reason to worry, since history shows that the more divided party usually loses the November election.

Is a win for Obama a win for the party? Or should Democrats rally around Clinton for the sake of unity? Feel free to leave your comments.

All facts and figures above are from CNN.com. For complete coverage, check out my sources at:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/08/dem.delegates/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/09/feb.9.contests/index.html