ATLANTA -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama coasted to a win Tuesday in Georgia over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, riding a wave of support from the state's large black population.

Results: Georgia Primary | National Results

Blacks comprise about half of the Democratic primary vote in Georgia and surveys of people as they left polling places showed they lined up overwhelmingly behind Obama, an Illinois senator seeking to become the nation's first black president.

"Obama is just better because he makes people, like myself, get up and want to do something positive," said Felix Omigie, a 42-year-old truck driver from Riverdale. "I can see that he is trying to tap more into the younger generation. He can relate to them."

Huckabee Edges Rivals

On the Republican side, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won a hotly contested three-way contest, thanks to a folksy style and a campaign that weighed heavily on conservative values in a successful bid to attract Christian evangelicals.

The former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister edged out Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the victory.

Georgia, with its stalwart base of religious voters, had been critical for Huckabee. He also cast himself as the champion of the "Wal-Mart Republican" rather than the "Wall Street" wing of the party represented by Romney.

Six in 10 GOP voters on Tuesday were white evangelicals and born-again Christians. Huckabee won four in 10 of their votes, according to surveys of voters as they left the polls.

Jeff Spencer was one of them. A Baptist minister in rural Bryan County east of Savannah, Spencer said social issues were his top concern.

"Before Huckabee came up, there wasn't a real conservative, Republican view in the race as far as the right wing goes," Spencer said.

Huckabee carried the inland southeast Georgia counties, including Brantley, Ware, Charlton and Clinch. McCain carried the counties with military bases -- Camden and Liberty -- while Romney won the most votes in Glynn County.

Obama's Strength

Obama had cultivated black support in the state, speaking from the pulpit of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s church the day before the federal holiday honoring the slain civil right leader's birthday. But Clinton made him work for the win. The former first lady had the backing of prominent black leaders such as U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights hero, and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.

Many voters in Georgia said Tuesday they were moved by Obama's message more than his skin color.

"I didn't want to vote for Obama just because he was black," said Jacqueline Jenkins, a 42-year-old administrative assistant and part-time college student who voted outside Albany. "I didn't want to vote for Hillary just because she's a woman. I think both bring a lot to the table. I just think Obama would be a better choice."

Obama's support was not just in metropolitan areas. He carried every southeast Georgia county except Brantley.

Heavy Turnout, Lines At Polls

A surge of black voters and a tight Republican race drew more than 1.4 million Georgia voters to the polls Tuesday, breaking a 20-year-old record for the number of people who cast ballots in a Georgia presidential primary.

One watchdog group said people waited in lines for more than two hours. At one point, Obama's campaign considered asking the state to keep some Atlanta-area precincts open late.

The election was the first statewide in which Georgia required a photo identification of all voters casting their ballots in person. Some sporadic problems were reported, in part because people could not wait out delays caused by the ID checks before they had to head to work.

Carmen Riddel, a 72-year-old retired teacher, affixed an Obama campaign pin to her coat as she left one poll in a wealthy Atlanta neighborhood.

"I wanted to make my vote count. I wanted to take part in this presidential. It's historical in many ways," said Riddel, who is black. "I would have voted for him no matter what race he was. I feel he's so qualified. He's an outstanding person. He wants all the races to get together and he wants to make peace in the world."

Teneca Williams, 21, a black nursing student and restaurant cashier, said she was torn.

"I was in between Obama and Hillary," she said Tuesday morning after voting at an elementary school in Albany. "Both of them seem like they could be good presidents, but it seemed like one has more experience. I considered their accomplishments and their experience. It was Clinton. It was a tough choice."

Republicans had a tougher time. At least sought divine guidance before casting a ballot.

"I just had to pray and pray. I said, 'OK, Lord, you know what's going to happen,'" said Margaret Trussell, a 74-year-old white, retired office worker from McDonough, who ended up voting for Romney.

It was an easier choice for Gloria Faulkner, a Savannah voter who opted for McCain because of his military experience and support for the Iraq War.

"The military needs some help, quick," said Faulkner, a 62-year-old homemaker whose husband spent 27 years in the Air Force. "With McCain being retired from the military and a former prisoner of war, he's had a lot of experience in leading people."

Voting Issues

The day was not without some problems at the polls.

The state branch of national election monitoring group Election Protection said some computers being used to verify voters' IDs and registrations crashed, causing long waits. State officials said those problems were isolated and being fixed and that heavy interest in the election was the real reason behind any delays.

"In a presidential election year with highly contested nomination races on both parties, lines are a function of the popularity of the contest," said Matt Carrothers, a state elections spokesman.

Intense interest in the election was easy to spot even before people cast ballots. State voter rolls swelled in the final weeks before the registration deadline and, in all, some 5.2 million Georgians were eligible to vote, more than ever before. Early voting was about five times higher than it was in the Democratic contest in 2004, when nearly 50,000 people either voted in advance or cast absentee ballots.