CHICAGO (AP) — President Barack Obama's campaign was relishing a hard-fought victory for the presidency, capping a re-election bid that hinged heavily on aggressive voter registration and turnout efforts.

Obama and his team were scattered across his hometown of Chicago as supporters awaited the president's victory speech. The president celebrated his win with his family at a downtown hotel. Hundreds of staffers watched the returns come in at the campaign's nearby headquarters, then streamed out of the high-rise building to attend the president's speech. And senior staffers at the convention center mused about how much earlier the election outcome was determined.

An ecstatic crowd had been assembling in the cavernous hall for hours, watching the returns on giant screens before erupting in a deafening roar and a swirl of waving flags at the news that he had won.