Democrat Barack Obama beat rival Hillary Clinton in Wyoming's nominating contest last night, bouncing back from a string of losses that gave Ms Clinton new life in their hotly contested presidential battle.
Mr Obama's victory in the nominating caucus in sparsely populated Wyoming slowed Ms Clinton's momentum after she won three of four contests on Tuesday in their tight duel for the right to face Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.
With 96 per cent of caucus sites reporting, Mr Obama led Ms Clinton by 59 per cent to 40 per cent.
"This is a very important win for us," said David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, in a conference call with reporters. He noted that Clinton, her husband Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea all campaigned in the state.
Heavily Republican Wyoming has just 12 delegates to the August convention that will pick the Democratic nominee, one of the smallest hauls in the race, but every state has become crucial in the prolonged battle between the two senators.
CNN projected Mr Obama would take at least seven of the 12 but Ms Clinton Campaign Manager Maggie Williams sought to put the result in a positive light, saying Ms Clinton expected to pick up five of the 12.
"We are thrilled with this near split in delegates and are grateful to the people of Wyoming for their support," she said in a statement. "We worked hard to present Senator Clinton's vision to the caucus-goers and we thank them for turning out today."
Both Mr Obama and Ms Clinton campaigned in Wyoming on Friday, but the two candidates took the day off at home on Saturday. Next up is a primary in Mississippi on Tuesday before Mr Obama and Ms Clinton square off in Pennsylvania on April 22nd.