In Saratoga Springs, 7,847 voted for Obama, while 5,117 cast votes for McCain, according to tallies from the League of Women Voters.
The results were tighter in the more heavily Republican Saratoga County, with the Board of Elections reporting 51,932 votes for Obama and 49,734 for McCain.
City Accounts Commissioner John Franck was celebrating with fellow Democrats at the Gideon Putnam hotel in the Saratoga Spa State Park.
"I was the first to say Obama was the guy. All these people hated me because they were Hillary people. I said it would be over on Super Tuesday," he said.
Larry Bulman, chairman of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, also seemed pleased as the national results rolled in. "It was the perfect campaign
for us, not to mention the Bush failure in Washington," he said.
Eliot Masie, the local campaign organizer for Obama, said Saratoga played a vital role, with volunteers making phone calls to constituents until the last minute. "It's unbelievable. I've been working on the Obama campaign for two years. We were dialing until 10 minutes to nine."
Since 8 a.m. Saturday, local volunteers placed 30,176 calls to places like Colorado, Iowa, Florida and Nebraska, Masie said. Tuesday alone, about 100 volunteers placed 13,000 calls from the Masie Center on Washington Street.
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Amy Stock, who was among the Obama volunteers, said she also is hopeful as the nation moves ahead.
"Americans are ready for a change," she said. "I think the economy was a huge factor."
Johanna Garrison, another Obama volunteer agreed. "I'm feeling extremely hopeful - more hopeful than I've been in 12 years."
The mood was much more subdued at the Republican camp at the Holiday Inn on Broadway. Despite the fact his presidential candidate was losing ground as the night progressed, former chairman of the city Republican Committee Tom Lewis expressed hope that Obama's administration would unite the country.
"I hope as president Obama will do what he has said in his campaign and truly be bipartisan," he said.
Michael Lenz, who served as the city's mayor from 2004-06, wasn't quite as optimistic.
"I was hopeful McCain would win. We don't have much choice but to go forward. I just hope the country comes together," he said.
Lenz said having a Democratic Congress and president could help advance some of the programs Obama has promised to implement.
Gary Smith of Clifton Park, at the Holiday Inn to support unsuccessful congressional candidate Sandy Treadwell, said his family has been divided down the middle during this election, and he thrived on the excitement of it all.
"I've enjoyed every minute of it; I'm not sure I want it to end," he said.
While Smith has supported Obama, his son, Justin, has been behind McCain.
"We needed to break from the past. Everybody would have stayed if John McCain won. Even if he really wanted to change things, that's hard. Obama can pull the rug out from under everything," Smith said. "I really hope he can reach across the aisle. McCain's a great person; I'd like to see him in a cabinet position."
His son, Justin Smith of Niskayuna, would have liked to see McCain do much more but said he felt more comfortable with an Obama administration than he would have if Al Gore or John Kerry had won in either of the past two elections.
"One good thing is that Obama is a likeable man. That's a big deal coming from me as a Republican," he said.
Tim Whitman of Stillwater shook his head as he watched the returns coming in on the large screen at the Holiday Inn. A registered Republican who follows politics, he expressed disappointment in the outcome.
"I'm more scared than anything. I have a 9-year-old daughter, and I'm fearful for where the country is going," he said.
His concerns for an Obama presidency center on the senator's economic plan, especially because he is in the process of starting a small business.
"I'll be one of those businesses Obama wants to tax," Whitman said. "I don't believe in bottom up economics; I believe in trickle down economics."
