Barack Obama wins presidential election

Sen. Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States.

CNN has just called the election in favor of the Illinois Democrat, making Obama the country’s first black president.

Obama defeated Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) after a highly contested election season. Tonight, Obama won a number of critical swing states — including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio —after pulling ahead in both state and nationwide polls during the final weeks of the campaign. McCain’s loss of Ohio early in the night made a win virtually impossible.