End of race appears to be near for Clinton's campaign
Actually, it probably is.
Most politicos and analysts now consider the race for the Democratic nomination settled, and that is evident in how the discussion has moved to the party's chances in the general election, and questions of when and how Clinton will make her exit.
Could it be Tuesday? The same demographic dynamics that have kept the marathon campaign going this long are expected to produce a split in that day's primaries — with Obama winning Oregon and Clinton taking Kentucky. But at the end of the day, Obama likely will have a majority of the delegates awarded to that point (though still not enough to clinch the nomination).
Clinton and her campaign advisers say she will fight on until the final primaries June 3 in Montana and South Dakota. Her last best hope of an upset rests on getting the 368 disputed delegates from Michigan and Florida seated in her favor — considered unlikely — and persuading an overwhelming majority of the remaining undeclared superdelegates to deny Obama.
Indeed, even as the West Virginia results bolstered the evidence that Clinton runs better among working-class white voters, a steady flow of the all-important superdelegates was endorsing Obama.
That development was just part of the steady drizzle of bad news for Clinton as opinion in the party seemed to harden against her.
On Wednesday, Clinton gave a number of TV interviews to spin the West Virginia victory, but the Obama campaign orchestrated a late-afternoon surprise announcement that ended up blunting Clinton's coverage. Former presidential candidate John Edwards, a populist with strong blue-collar support, endorsed Obama. "Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I," Edwards said.
Earlier in the day, in an unrelated development with even more symbolic sting, national leaders of the abortion-rights group NARAL endorsed Obama, spurning a longtime ally who happens to be the first woman with a plausible shot at the White House.
Even Democratic consultant James Carville, a Hillary Clinton loyalist who was the strategic architect of former President Bill Clinton's 1992 victory, abandoned his usual until-the-last-dog-dies stance, saying he expected Obama to be the nominee.
Recent comments
I didn't support Mrs. Clinton, but she has my respect as one...
Mark B | May 18, 2008 at 10:36 p.m.
Let it end!! Hillary has fought the good fight, put up her dukes...
barb | May 18, 2008 at 1:24 p.m.
