To most Americans, Hawaii is an exotic paradise so far removed from everyday concerns it might as well be Antarctica.

Not to Barack Obama. The president-elect was born here in 1961, and spent his high school years in Honolulu. And Hawaiians claim him as their own.

At the Democrats’ victory party Tuesday at a bar in a Honolulu shopping mall, people whooped, hugged and exchanged high-fives when television networks called the race for Obama. A few tears flowed down the face of Andy Winer, Obama’s state campaign director.

“To see it come to fruition and to see someone with the quality of Barack Obama become president overwhelmed me,” Winer said.

In a state that often feels neglected for its isolation, Democratic Party chairman Brian Shatz said, “It will be great to have a president who doesn’t have to be briefed about Hawaii issues.”

Obama is likely to return in the next few days for the funeral of his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who died Sunday night.

“We had all hoped that she would be around to see her grandson become the president of the United States,” said Obama supporter Emmie Tomingbang. “She’s kind of watching from a higher vantage point.”

For many, Obama’s election is a source of deep pride _ whether ethnic, ideological or geographic. Some see business opportunities. Others believe Hawaii is in line for even more federal spending and congressional clout than it has now, just as the state’s economy is slipping.

There is even speculation that Obama will choose Hawaii as his “western White House,” a place for him and his family to get away from the pressures of Washington. He vacations in Hawaii nearly every year.

If T-shirt sales during his last two trips here are any indication, B.J. Savate will be very happy whenever Obama visits.

Savate owns a shop that sells locally designed Obama shirts and memorabilia. “These last couple of weeks have been madness, because everyone is having a party,” he said.

Obama’s election, Winer said, will be viewed by Hawaii residents as a “confirmation” that Hawaiian values of consensus-building and diversity “are going to be seen on a national stage.”

But a high school friend of Obama’s said the president-elect will not cater to Hawaii.

“Honestly, Hawaii is not the place with the greatest ills in the world,” said Kelli Furushima, a member of an informal group of female classmates of Obama who call themselves the “Sweeties.” “He has the weight of the nation and the world on his shoulders, so that comes first.”