Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won most of the delegates in West Virginia’s Democratic primary Tuesday.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won most of the delegates in West Virginia’s Democratic primary Tuesday.

Early results from West Virginia exit polls show race, education, Barack Obama’s former pastor and a plan for a summertime suspension of federal gas taxes all gave Hillary Rodham Clinton a huge advantage in the state’s presidential primary.

An exit poll finds two in 10 voters in the West Virginia Democratic primary say Barack Obama shares the views of his fiery former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, “a lot.” Another three in 10 say Obama shares Wright’s views “somewhat.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will remain in the presidential race “until there’s a nominee.” The former first lady declined to say whether that meant through the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Sen. Barack Obama won the most delegates in Tuesday’s primaries, moving within 200 delegates of securing the Democratic nomination for president.

Race again played a pivotal role in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential clashes, as whites in Indiana and North Carolina leaned solidly toward Hillary Rodham Clinton and blacks voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, exit polls showed. Half the voters said they were influenced by the focus on Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Sen. Barack Obama grabbed the early lead in the competition for delegates in Tuesday’s primaries.

Exit polls show that about half the voters in Indiana and North Carolina said the focus on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was a major factor in deciding whom to back in those states’ presidential primaries. But the controversy was providing little help to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Exit polls in Indiana show that about half the voters say the controversy over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was an important factor in their vote.