By Xinhua,
Washington : Former first lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton was projected by major US TV networks to have won Democratic presidential primary Sunday in Puerto Rico.
Based on exit polls, Clinton is likely to beat her rival Barrack Obama at a ratio of two to one in a clean sweep across all demographic groups in the island.
However, the victory is largely symbolic as Obama is well ahead of her in the tally of delegates going to the August national convention.
Going to the Puerto Rico primary, Obama has some 2,050 delegates and Hillary Rodham Clinton has 1,877.
A candidate needs to get at least 2,118 delegates to win the Democratic nomination and that looks increasingly within Obama’s reach.
Primaries in Montana and South Dakota of June 3 are the only two contests left for this year’s Democratic nomination election cycle.
There are 55 delegates at stake in Sunday’s Puerto Rico primary, while 16 delegates at stake in Tuesday’s Montana and 15 in South Dakota.
Obama is confident he will get enough delegates to clinch the nomination next week and plans to make a victory speech Tuesday.
Despite all the odds, Clinton campaigned in earnest in Puerto Rico for more electoral votes during the weekend and hopes she can claim a lead in total tally of popular votes after a clean victory in the tropical island.
A spokesman for the Obama campaign said the Illinois senator could secure the Democratic nomination this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, after the Montana and South Dakota contests.
“If not Tuesday, I think it will be fairly soon,” Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Sunday on ABC’s This Week.