As Election Day came to a close, excited chatter filled the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 333 W. Kilbourn Ave., where hundreds of Milwaukee Obama campaign members, volunteers and supporters gathered to watch their efforts materialize in the election results.

Campaign members waited with bated breath for the final results of their months of labor.

The crowd-swollen room periodically burst into animated chants of, "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!"

As the results came in, campaign volunteers and supporters learned Obama had not only won Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, but had also taken Iowa and the important swing state of Florida. Anticipation mounted.

Chris Spehert, an Obama campaign volunteer, said he had spent the last couple of months helping the campaign. Spehert said he knocked on doors for nine hours in Greenfield, Wis., to "get out the vote" on Election Day.

As a long-time Democratic Party supporter, Spehert said he noticed more support for Obama than for other Democratic campaigns in his past volunteering experience.

"Obama's a different kind of candidate," Spehert said.

Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore won the election for her third term and spoke at the party.

"We have an amazing candidate for president," Moore said before the final results came in. "Let me tell you something, as I walked around Milwaukee today I have never seen so many people taking shift after shift at knocking on doors."

Mary Anne Cavadias, a campaign volunteer, said she decided to volunteer for Obama's campaign because of his mantra of change.

As large televisions displayed Obama's increasing lead, Cavadias erupted into fits of "Obama" cheers.

Moore said, "Let me tell you something, this proves something. This proves that ordinary people can be the change that they want to see in the world. This young man stepped up to this challenge. We've got to be there for him."

According to the Associated Press, the results of preliminary exit polls showed that one-third of voters said the quality that mattered most was a candidate's stance on change, Obama's enduring campaign slogan.

Lisa Rowe, a campaign volunteer and Sarah Palin impersonator, sported a red business suit, sleek glasses and a hairdo that rivaled that of the Alaska governor.

"I just wanted to do something to win people over with humor," Rowe said.

The Palin pretender clutched a sign that read, "Alaska Governors for Obama. I changed my mind for Obama."

The clock approached the 10 o'clock hour and the sea of fans erupted into waves of excitement as Obama was named president-elect.

Supporters and volunteers danced, hugged, sobbed, smiled and screamed.

A table of young voters danced and shouted, "Landslide! Landslide! Landslide!"

American optimism permeated the room. Voices uttered, "Yes we can." The crowd's words grew and resonated through the room, "Yes we can!"

Henrietta Smith, a campaign volunteer, while dancing for joy said, "I am just elated! I have never been so happy in my life!"

Smith said she knocked on doors for four hours on Monday, encouraging citizens to vote.

"I can't wait to see Michelle Obama as the first lady," Smith said.

The television flashed images of Obama's celebration in Chicago. Energy and enthusiasm electrified the room.

"I think it's a great, great day for people all over America," Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl said. "This is a victory not of a party but of a country. It's gonna bring about a period of unity in this country."

Sarah Kikkert, a campaign volunteer and freshman in the College of Communication, said she supported Obama for more than just his eloquent speaking style.

"As cliche as it sounds, we need change," Kikkert said.

She said she values being part of a monumental election.

Paula Hegwood, a campaign volunteer and nurse at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, said she just finished her shift and was on her way to Milwaukee's Obama celebration when she heard the news.

"It was unbelievable," Hegwood said. "I was crying on my way here."

She said she wonders what her dad and her grandfather would have thought of the historic day.

The election symbolizes how far America has come, but we have to continue to work together, Hegwood said.

"I hope Obama will unite us all," Hegwood said. "We have work to do and it starts with us."

As the party began to wind down, Obama echoed over the airwaves, "America is a place where all things are possible."

The crowd clapped, cheered and waved their hands.

"At this defining moment change has come to America," Obama said.

Rosemary Lane contributed to this report.