So hope won through, but while talk is of the historic nature of the win have we also seen a new stage in the evolution of election campaigning?

Obama has built on the techniques used by Jesse Ventura and Howard Dean but taken them to a whole new level. His website and use of email has created a movement, one that has been furthered by other online users posting their own material to the web.

But it is not just about websites anymore it seems. Has the use of social media, and Obama's dominance of sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Youtube, been pivotal in attracting new voters, the young to his campaign; people who have also been important for the grassroots campaigning.

There are already suggestions that the big news is about the online dimension of the campaign. Huffington Post blogger Mayhill Fowler told the BBC that YouTube has been the "most influential player in this election" and they may be correct. While many factors contributed to Obama's victory, the tactics perhaps give an insight into the future of election campaigning.