Obama gains superdelegates; Clinton vows to stay in race

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By The Associated Press | Wednesday, May 7, 2008 12:59 PM CDT | () comments

Democratic presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., smiles while speaking Tuesday night in Raleigh, N.C., after sweeping to victory in the North Carolina presidential primary. (AP Photo)

Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., acknowledges her supporters during her Indiana Primary night rally Tuesday in Indianapolis. (AP Photo)

UPDATED: WASHINGTON — Barack Obama pocketed the support of at least four Democratic convention superdelegates today, building on the momentum from a convincing North Carolina primary victory. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to remain in the race ``until there's a nominee.''

   The former first lady declined to say whether that meant through the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

   Clinton also disclosed that she had loaned her campaign an additional $6.4 million in recent weeks, evidence that her once front-runner campaign was in deep trouble.

   She told reporters the loans were a sign of her commitment to her quest for the White House. She earlier loaned herself $5 million as she struggled to keep up with a better-financed Obama campaign.

   Obama, now the front-runner, was home in Chicago during the day as his aides spread word that he would soon begin campaigning in states likely to be pivotal in the fall campaign. They also relayed word of the four endorsements, expected to be made public later in the day. Both disclosures were meant to signal fresh confidence that the nomination was quickly coming into his possession after a grueling marathon across 15 months and nearly all 50 states.

   Clinton's appearance in Shepherdstown, W.Va., was meant to underscore her determination to stay the course. She also arranged a private meeting later in the day with uncommitted superdelegates.

   Clinton won the Indiana primary narrowly early today, but the overall impact of the night's two contests was to lengthen Obama's lead in national convention delegates without fundamentally altering the nature of the race. The results also prompted former Sen. George McGovern, a Clinton backer of several months, to urge her to drop out while endorsing her rival.

   Obama has 1,840.5 delegates to 1,688 for Clinton in The Associated Press tally. It takes 2,025 delegates to win the nomination in Denver this summer.

   Clinton told reporters it would take 2,209 or 2,210 delegates to win the nomination, not the 2,025 in use by the Democratic National Committee. The higher total would come into play if the delegations were seated from Michigan and Florida, two states that held primaries outside the time frame that party rules required.

   The former first lady campaigned for months to have new votes in both states, although lately has said she merely wants the delegations seated.

   Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, said on Tuesday night it was possible a compromise could be worked out to seat the Michigan delegates. He did not mention Florida.

   Asked at her news conference whether she intended to remain in the race through the convention roll call, Clinton said, ``I'm staying in this race until there's a nominee and obviously I am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee.''

   Clinton backers appeared on early morning television programs to stress that she was still in the race and to urge party leaders and elected officials known as superdelegates not to flee to Obama.

   ``This candidacy and this campaign continues on,'' Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson said on CNN.

   Obama was 184.5 delegates shy of the number needed to secure the Democratic nomination, his campaign finally steadying after missteps fiercely exploited by the never-say-die Clinton.

   His campaign dropped broad hints it was time for the 270 remaining unaligned superdelegates to get off the fence and settle the nomination.

   In a counter to Wolfson, Obama communications director Robert Gibbs said: ``The delegate math gets exceptionally harder for Senator Clinton every day.''

   In a memorandum to superdelegates, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe reminded them of the delegate math necessary to secure the nomination. He said Clinton would need to win 68 percent of the remaining delegates to win — an extremely unlikely scenario, made harder by her poor performance Tuesday.

   ``With the Clinton path to the nomination getting even narrower, we expect new and wildly creative scenarios to emerge in the coming days,'' Plouffe wrote. ``While those scenarios may be entertaining, they are not legitimate and will not be considered legitimate by this campaign or millions of supporters, volunteers and donors.''

   It was in the superdelegate arena — even more than in the scattered primaries left — that the Democratic hyperdrama was bound to play out.

   Clinton vowed to compete tenaciously for West Virginia next week and Kentucky and Oregon after that, and to press ``full speed on to the White House.''

   But she risked running on fumes without an infusion of cash, and made a direct fundraising pitch from the stage in Indianapolis. ``I need your help to continue our journey,'' she said.

   And she pledged anew that she would support the Democratic nominee ``no matter what happens,'' a vow also made by her competitor.

   But her campaign schedule belied any immediate reconciliation. West Virginia holds its primary on Tuesday. Kentucky and Oregon hold their contests a week later. Puerto Rico is scheduled for June 1 followed promptly by Montana and South Dakota on June 3.

   Her campaign is making the case that those contests are crucial to her and will press Democratic party officials to resolve disputed contests in Michigan and Florida, which she won but whose results the party voided because the primaries were held ahead of the schedule set by Democratic Party rules.

Obama inches closer to the prize

EARLIER STORY: WASHINGTON — On the rebound, Barack Obama left Hillary Rodham Clinton with fast-dwindling chances to deny him the Democratic presidential nomination after beating her in North Carolina and falling just short in an Indiana cliffhanger.

Obama was on track to climb within 200 delegates of attaining the prize, his campaign finally steadying after missteps fiercely exploited by the never-say-die Clinton.

His campaign dropped broad hints it was time for the 270 remaining unaligned party figures known as superdelegates to get off the fence and settle the nomination.

It was in that arena — even more than in the scattered primaries left — that the Democratic hyperdrama was bound to play out.

“You know, there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election,” Obama told a roaring crowd in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night, referring to Clinton’s hope that an upset there would recast the race in her favor.

“But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C.”

Clinton vowed to compete tenaciously for West Virginia next week and Kentucky and Oregon after that, and to press “full speed on to the White House.”

But she risked running on fumes without an infusion of cash, and made a direct fundraising pitch from the stage in Indianapolis. “I need your help to continue our journey,” she said.

And she pledged anew that she would support the Democratic nominee “no matter what happens,” a vow also made by her competitor.

In an overnight e-mail appeal for donations, Obama said: “We have a clear path to victory.”

But even as Obama took the day off today to be with his family in Chicago, Clinton showed no public signs of easing her pace. The campaign added a noon today appearance in Shepherdstown, W. Va., to her schedule. On Thursday, she planned to campaign in West Virginia, South Dakota and Oregon.

Polarizing, protracted and often bitter, the contest is hardening divisions in the party, according to exit polls from the two states.

A solid majority of each candidate’s supporters said they would not be satisfied if the other candidate wins the nomination.

Fully one-third of Clinton’s supporters in Indiana and North Carolina went beyond mere dissatisfaction to say they would vote for Republican John McCain instead of Obama if that’s the choice in the fall.

Obama scored a convincing victory of about 14 points in North Carolina, where he’d been favored. Clinton squeezed out a narrow margin in Indiana after a long night of counting.

Racial divisions were stark.

In both states, Clinton won six in 10 white votes while Obama got nine in 10 black votes, exit polls indicated.

It was a slightly better performance than usual by Clinton among whites, while Obama’s backing from blacks was one of his highest winning percentages yet with that group.

Against the backdrop of disunity, pressure is certain to intensify on the superdelegates to declare themselves and lasso Democrats together for the fall campaign against McCain. They are not bound by results in primaries or caucuses.

“There is an eagerness in the party to get this done and move on,” said David Axelrod, chief Obama strategist. “There is no question that we can see the finish line.”

David Lutz, 53, of Trinity, N.C., who lives on his Army pension and flea market sales, paid tribute to Obama’s resilience in explaining why he switched from supporting Clinton in the final days.

“I finally got swayed Obama’s way,” he said. “He’s like a magician — he pulled a lot of good tricks out of his hat.”

A look at the night’s numbers:

• Obama won at least 69 delegates and Clinton at least 63 in the two states combined, with 55 still to be divided between the two candidates.

• Obama’s delegate total reached 1815.5 to 1,672 for Clinton in The Associated Press count, out of 2,025 needed to win the nomination.

• Obama won North Carolina 56-42, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.

• Clinton won Indiana 51-49, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.

And the races still ahead:

• 28 delegates at stake in West Virginia in a week.

• 103 delegates up for grabs a week later in Kentucky and Oregon.

• 55 in Puerto Rico on June 1.

• 31 in Montana and South Dakota on June 3.

On Tuesday, Clinton fell short of the Indiana blowout and the North Carolina upset that might have jarred superdelegates into her camp in a big way.

They have continued trickling toward Obama despite the fallout over his former pastor’s racially divisive remarks and Clinton’s win in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.

Obama sounded increasingly focused on the fall campaign.

“This primary season may not be over, but when it is, we will have to remember who we are as Democrats ... because we all agree that at this defining moment in history — a moment when we’re facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril — we can’t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush’s third term,” he said.

Clinton was joined at her rally by her husband Bill, his face sunburned after campaigning in small-town North Carolina, and their daughter, Chelsea.

The New York senator stressed the issue that came to dominate the final days of the primaries in both states, her call for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax. “I think it’s time to give Americans a break this summer,” she said.

Obama opposes the tax suspension, calling it a gimmick.

The impact of a long-running controversy over the Illinois senator’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, was difficult to measure.

In North Carolina, six in 10 voters who said Wright’s remarks affected their votes sided with Clinton. A somewhat larger percentage of voters who said the pastor’s remarks did not matter supported Obama.

Obama and Clinton both planned to campaign in the next primary states starting Thursday, after a day in Washington. Obama headed to Chicago after his Raleigh speech before coming to the capital.