WASHINGTON, March 5, 2008 (AFP) - Barack Obama's campaign claimed Wednesday that he had won the majority of delegates in the Texas Democratic presidential primary despite rival Hillary Clinton capturing the state's popular vote.

However, Obama's count was immediately challenged by the Democratic Party secretary, who asserted that the Illinois senator did win more delegates, but not as many as his campaign claimed.

Adrian Saenz, director of Senator Obama's campaign in Texas, said that based on his calculations, Obama had earned five more delegates than Clinton in the state, owing to the complicated primary-and-caucus structure of the Texas nomination vote.

Texas allocates two-thirds of the prize state total of 193 delegates by the popular vote-based primary election, which Senator Clinton clearly won with 51 percent of the vote against Obama's 47 percent, with nearly all the votes counted.

But another third is allocated based on post-primary caucuses, open meetings of electors which appear to have favored Obama 56 percent to 44 percent.

Based on proportional representation, Saenz claimed that Clinton bested Obama in the primary by two delegates, but Obama topped her by seven in the caucus, giving him a net win of five delegates.

However, according to the latest count by the Texas secretary of state, Clinton won the primary by four delegates -- 65 to 61 -- and so if Saenz's claim of a seven-delegate win in the caucus bears out, Obama will have exited Texas with two more delegates than Clinton.

Each delegate is crucial, with Clinton and Obama neck and neck in the race to be chosen at the Democratic Party's August conference to represent it in the November 4 presidential election.

Obama has a total of 1,482 delegates so far in the race, while Clinton has collected 1,390.

'By fighting the primary to a near-draw and earning a resounding victory in the caucus, the people of Texas have moved Barack Obama one step closer to claiming the Democratic nomination for president,' Saenz said in a statement.

'Texans in both parties and of all ages sent a clear message that the American people are ready for the kind of change that Barack Obama will bring to Washington DC as our 44th President.'