Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton looked yesterday toward the next battles in a bruising White House race after Obama rolled to a huge win in a bitterly contested South Carolina primary.

Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black US president, crushed Clinton in the latest showdown in a back-and-forth fight for the right to represent the Democratic Party in November's presidential election.

With heavy support from black voters, Obama doubled Clinton's tally to win 55 percent to 27 percent. John Edwards finished third with 18 percent in a state he won during his failed 2004 race, casting fresh doubt on the future of his campaign.