On the night of Nov. 4, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman was 200 feet from history.

Within sight was the podium in Chicago’s Grant Park where U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D–Illinois) was about to give his victory speech. He had just been elected President of the United States, the first African-American to win his way into the Oval Office. Numerically, Obama triumphed definitively over Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain: 365 to 173 in the unofficial Electoral College count, 53 to 46 percent in the popular vote, including a 57 to 42 percent win in New Jersey. But Rothman’s reaction wasn’t just based on numbers.

"I’m so happy for my country," said Rothman, an early supporter of Obama and one of the Northeast regional co-chairmen of his campaign. "I’m so optimistic that people will now join together to fix our country. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I believe Barack Obama will be an outstanding leader for all of our people."

About 800 miles from Chicago, Crystal Coache, a senior at Rutgers, was beaming outside the ballroom of New Brunswick’s Heldrich Hotel where a Democratic victory party was in full swing. She didn’t have to be up close to Obama to know that this Election Day was one of the most important days of her life.

"It’s restored my faith in my neighbors," said the 21-year-old African-American. "This means that I can do whatever I want to. It means that my children can do whatever they want to. It means that my country has progressed in a way that I wasn’t sure that we had. It just means everything."

Whether viewed from a local or a national perspective, the ramifications of Obama’s victory are many and meaningful. But no matter the prism through which the presidential election is viewed, New Jersey and America have seen a historical change take place.

Victorious Democrats speak out

Coming off his victory over Republican challenger Dick Zimmer, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg agreed that Obama’s victory had altered America’s social and political landscape.

"In the past few years, we’ve seen the elevation of the African-American community, including people like Colin Powell with high places in government," he said. "I think color disappeared. From now on, there is no ceiling that will keep people down."

"It’s time to declare a new politics in our nation: the politics of hope and idealism, not the politics of divide and conquer," said Obama Democratic convention delegate and Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

"One of the great truths of America is that regardless of what station of life you are born into, challenges you have faced, the color of your skin or your name, if you have the ideas and the ideals needed to lead, America will reward you," added U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. "That is a powerful message to children in America today, as well as across the world."

For Obama Democratic convention delegate Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), her beliefs about her candidate were even more personal.

"Very early on, I had a good feeling about this guy, and he sure didn’t fail me this entire campaign," she said. "I don’t think that he’s going to fail the country."

"As an African-American, I’m especially proud, but Obama is here to represent all Americans," said Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood), another early Obama supporter and convention delegate. "He’s the best man for the job who happens to be African-American. This election shows that we Americans are beyond race. This will open the door for all the other minorities in this country."

Obama triumph leads to potential local and national shifts

Gov. Jon Corzine also spoke about the historically transformative nature of Obama’s win.

"This is akin to my experience as a youth watching John Kennedy become president," said Corzine, 61. "I think we have a pivot point in history here."

Obama’s election could also mark a turning point in Corzine’s career. He is reportedly on the president-elect’s short list to become the nation’s next Treasury secretary or Federal Reserve chairman. Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs chief executive and U.S. Senator, has repeatedly reiterated that he intends to remain governor, although he stated in a recent interview with CNBC that "I’m not going to say never to anything."

Although Corzine was an early supporter of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic presidential primary process, he has become a leading economic adviser to Obama in recent months, and was an early advocate for Obama’s U.S. Senate candidacy in 2004. While Corzine’s potential departure would dramatically impact the 2009 governor’s race, the Governor’s immediate focus was on what Obama’s victory would do for New Jersey Democrats.

"There are light years of difference between having someone in power that resists the agenda we’ve been trying to put forth here in New Jersey and somebody else," he said. "The Bush White House has stood in our way on almost every possible initiative. An Obama administration will have an agenda that is pretty much a match to what we’re trying to do, whether it’s alternative energy, heath care, providing middle-class tax cuts, or mediation with foreclosures and bankruptcies. We have a real chance to have a partner in Washington, and this will be great for New Jersey."

Early supporters of Obama may have even more reasons to expect great things. Rumors that Booker and Rothman would be tapped for positions in an Obama administration surfaced quickly after Election Day. Booker has stated publicly that he remains committed to Newark, while Rothman, the only member of the New Jersey Democratic congressional delegation to back Obama from the beginning, told Hackensack Chronicle that he plans to stay put for now.

"I told the Obama people that I want to continue to represent New Jersey in Washington, and I’m very pleased to have another two years to fight for the people of the Ninth Congressional District in the House of Representatives," he said. (Rothman defeated Republican opponent Vincent Micco by a 67 to 31 percent margin.)

With a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Rothman is pleased to have an ally in the White House when it comes time to getting things done.

"I’m very much looking forward to working with President Obama, because I believe that his agenda is one very well suited to New Jersey," he said. "Coming from Chicago, he understands the needs of an old and industrial state, including infrastructure repairs and support for needed tax relief."

A national sea change?

Brigid Harrison, a Montclair State University professor of political science and law, also saw the advantages of an Obama victory for his New Jersey allies.

"Booker, Corzine and Rothman are all much better positioned than they were before the election," she said. "Congressman Rothman and Cory Booker in particular were among Sen. Obama’s earliest and most vocal supporters. I remember when Rothman endorsed Obama, everybody in the state thought that he was out of his mind."

"There’s been a lot of hype about Gov. Corzine leaving and taking the Treasury Department position, but I think no matter what happens, there are people in the state of New Jersey who have a friend in the White House," she continued. "I also think that for those who were advocates of Sen. Clinton, the appointment of (U.S. Rep. and former Bill Clinton White House staffer) Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff means that they also have a friend in the White House. In a state with so many Democratic elected officials, there is a high level of excitement about improving the condition of the state and having cooperation from the White House in a way that they haven’t had for the past eight years."

Many political observers have noted that the size of the Democratic victory in this election, including the gain of least six new Senate seats and 20 new House seats, could mean that the nation has decisively shifted from red to blue in its thinking. For Harrison, the answer may be found in the age of the electorate this year and in years to come.

"I think that it’s clear that the Democrats carried the day, but it remains to be seen whether they are able to maintain the sizeable majority that they are walking into 2009 with," she said. "In my mind, the coalition of voters that came behind Senator Obama was the defining element of this election. You saw a high level of young voters, African-Americans, highly educated white voters and a disproportionate amount of women forming a new kind of coalition that might even be compared to the New Deal coalition that elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt to an unprecedented four terms. The fact that so many young people who are being socialized to the Democratic Party are participating in such high numbers is probably going to be one of the more important long-term consequences of this election."

With this coalition potentially in place, Menendez sees an opportunity for Democrats to consolidate their gains.

"After what average Americans have suffered over the last eight years, they wanted a change," he said. "Even though we are inheriting a huge economic problem, we have the opportunity to lead the country in a different and better direction. If Democrats do that well, they can continue to govern for a longer period of time."

Change at home and abroad

The Rev. Gregory Jackson, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, has seen change coming for a long time. The 57-year-old African-American was a direct witness to the civil rights struggle and was also a member of the Obama delegation at this year’s Democratic convention. As he watched Obama’s acceptance speech with his congregation, he knew that this period of time is one permanently etched in his heart and soul.

"I feel like I’m walking a little taller today," he said. "For American-Americans, particularly our young people, this means that they can feel comfortable dreaming a little higher. Obama’s election highlights the importance of education, and I hope young people read and learn all about him. The path to greatness comes from hard work. That’s the way it ought to be."

"Obviously this doesn’t eradicate all the racism in the world, or any other kind of -isms," Jackson added. "But anything is possible. This punches a hole in the glass ceiling."

In the aftermath of Obama’s victory, Crystal Coache looked beyond any glass ceiling debris. She looked across the ocean.

"People underestimate the symbolism of this event," she said. "My friend went to Morocco and she spoke with someone from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That person told her: ‘Barack Obama is running for president. Do you know what this does for me?’ This has become more important that just whatever happens here. I can’t wait to show my children someone who looks different in history books and say that to them that can be you."