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CHICAGO — Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States Tuesday in a stereotype-shattering campaign, as nearly 60 million voters across the country responded to his message of hope and the promise of change.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Obama told a crowd of more than 200,000 supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Centering his campaign on the ideas of hope and change, Obama said positive progress would not be flawless and immediate but promised “we as a people will get there.”

“This victory alone is not the change we seek,” he said. “It is only the chance for us to make that change, and that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.”

Joined by wife Michelle, daughters Sasha and Malia, running mate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and the Biden family, Obama said he hoped to inspire a “new hope for patriotism” through working harder toward the values of “self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.”

Obama said he needed help from voters whose support he has yet to earn, adding he understand their concerns.

“There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know the government can’t solve every problem,” he said. “But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”

Defeating Republican presidential candidate John McCain after nearly two years on the campaign trail, Obama said he received an “extraordinarily gracious” phone call from his opponent earlier Tuesday evening.

“Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves,” Obama said. “He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.”

He added America is better off because of McCain, whom he called a “brave and selfless leader.”

McCain acknowledged defeat to a crowd in Phoenix shortly after 10 p.m., and was joined by his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Supporters sprinted toward the main stage in Grant Park Tuesday and watched votes come in from across the nation from two screens projecting CNN results throughout the night.

The crowd’s first major celebration occurred when CNN projected Pennsylvania’s 21 electoral votes were given to Obama shortly after 7:30 p.m., and similar reaction ensued an hour later when Ohio’s 20 electoral votes were also projected to Obama.

When the final West Coast polls closed at 10 p.m. and Obama was declared winner, the crowd — which included media mogul Oprah Winfrey and Rev. Jesse Jackson — erupted into cheers, waving American flags and cheering “Yes we can.”

After the event, the crowd flooded Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, chanting, dancing and singing in support of the next president.

University of Wisconsin junior Nick Nugent, who attended the event Tuesday, said he was willing to skip a few history classes to he could be a part of what he called a historic event, adding he looked forward to how people will react when Obama is a the White House.

“He’s going to be held to standards that probably no other president in my lifetime has been put up to,” Nugent said. “I think the media might jump on him right away, but the American people have to realize one person isn’t going to solve all his problems.”

Obama said now is the time to create new jobs, improve opportunities for the nation’s youth, promote peace and to “reclaim the American dream.”

“This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment,” he said, leaving the crowd with one last message — “Yes we can.”