By Ronald Baygents, KUNA,
Washington : Hillary Clinton gave Barack Obama his worst election loss of the year on Tuesday, beating him by a 2-to-1 ratio in West Virginia.
But with less than three weeks before the U.S. Democratic presidential primary season ends, Obama remained poised to capture the nomination, despite the former first lady vowing to persevere.
“I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign, until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard,” New York Senator Clinton said at a victory rally in Charleston, West Virginia.
Illinois Senator Obama had conceded West Virginia, and was looking ahead to the Oregon primary next week and the general election presidential campaign against Republican John McCain.
Obama was expected to win in Oregon, while Clinton was expected to win in Kentucky. Both hold their primaries next Tuesday.
“This is our chance to build a new majority of Democrats and independents and Republicans who know that four more years of George Bush just will not do, ” Obama said in Missouri, which figures to be closely contested by Obama and McCain in the fall. “This is our moment to turn the page on the divisions and distractions that pass for politics in Washington.”
Clinton won overwhelmingly in West Virginia, which is 95 percent white and had the kinds of voters who have been her core supporters this year — women, older people, the less educated and working class whites. With nearly 60 percent of the West Virginia votes in, she led Obama by 65 percent to 28 percent.
Clinton is trying to become the first female U.S. president, while Obama aims to become the first Afircan-American U.S. president.
The 28 delegates at stake in West Virginia will be divided between Clinton and Obama according to the popular vote.
Obama had an estimated 1,874 delegates to 1,702 for Clinton, out of 2,025 needed to clinch the nomination at the Democratic Party national convention in Denver in August.
Despite the big loss in West Virginia, Obama this week for the first time moved past Clinton in the all-important estimated “super-delegate” count, which stands at 276 for Clinton and 283 for Obama.
Super-delegates are elected officials and other Democratic Party leaders who will decide the nominee, since neither candidate is projected to be able to have enough delegates by the time the primaries and caucuses end on June 3.
Clinton arranged a meeting with super-delegates for Wednesday. In her speech Tuesday night, Clinton said delegates from Michigan and Florida ? states penalized by the DDemocratic Party because they held their primaries too early ? should be seatedd at the convention.
“In light of our overwhelming victory here in West Virginia, I want to send a message to all those who are making up their minds,” she said. “I am in this race because I believe I am the strongest candidate.”