It wasn't an accident, says Obama on his win

''This wasn't fate, and it wasn't an accident,'' said Barack Obama who won a second term as US president after defeating his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in a tough fight.

Obama, the third consecutive president to win a second term, wrote an email to his supporters just before addressing a cheering crowd in Chicago.

"I'm about to go speak to the crowd here in Chicago, but I wanted to thank you first.
"I want you to know that this wasn't fate, and it wasn't an accident. You made this happen," wrote Obama in the email that was put out on the website democrats.org
"You organized yourselves block by block. You took ownership of this campaign five and ten dollars at a time. And when it wasn't easy, you pressed forward.

"I will spend the rest of my presidency honoring your support and doing what I can to finish what we started," said the country's first African American president.

He wrote: "But I want you to take real pride, as I do, in how we got the chance in the first place."

"Today is the clearest proof yet that against the odds, ordinary Americans can overcome powerful interests.

"There's a lot more work to do.
"But for right now: Thank you."