At D.C. Gathering, Cheering a Historic Moment

She hailed his courage in running and the readiness of millions of people to vote for him.

"To think the American people would look past his color is outstanding," she said.

Tom Reed, a lawyer who is African American and has known Obama and his wife, Michelle, for years, said he long ago recognized Obama's transcendent qualities.

"I think he's uniquely suited to bind groups together," Reed said. "He's got those sort of skills."

Among sponsors of last night's celebration were Donald Beyer, the Virginia auto dealer and political figure, and his wife, Megan.

The Beyerses had supported the Clintons in the past, Megan Beyer said. But she said reading Obama's memoir, "Dreams From My Father," affected her.

"What an authentic person," she said she thought. She said she recognized a need for someone new in American politics and supported him out of "a palpable feeling we need a change."