Washington
23 April 2008
Senator Hillary Clinton has kept her presidential bid alive with a nearly 10-point victory over Senator Barack Obama in Tuesday's crucial Pennsylvania primary. The victory is a boost for Senator Clinton, but she still trails Senator Barack Obama in the total number of votes received in state primary races and in the total number of pledged delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
On the morning after the Pennsylvania primary, Senator Hillary Clinton summed up her feelings about her nearly 10-point win on the CBS Early Show.
"It was a wonderful night," she said.
A number of political analysts had said Senator Clinton needed a convincing win in Pennsylvania to stay in the race, and that is exactly what she got. Some Democrats were hoping for a closer outcome that would have compelled Clinton to drop out of the race, allowing the party to unite behind Senator Obama and focus on defeating Republican candidate Senator John McCain in the November general election.
At a victory rally late Tuesday in Philadelphia, Senator Clinton told her cheering supporters that the tide is turning. Speaking to CBS News, she said the victory would give her momentum for the next primaries, and explained why she believes more voters chose her.
"They believe that I offer them and their families the, you know, best chance for a better future," she said. "And I think that is what is going on here."
Senator Clinton also said that her campaign raised more than $3 million overnight with an Internet appeal after her victory. Her campaign had gone into debt during the Pennsylvania race, while Senator Obama still has plenty of funds for the next contests.
As in other races, Senator Clinton carried her core supporters, voters over the age of 60, female voters and lower income voters. Senator Obama again did best with young people, higher income voters and Black voters.
Obama, 46, sought to reassure his supporters late Tuesday at a rally in Evansville, Indiana. He pointed out that Senator Clinton had led in opinion polls by more than 20 percentage points in Pennsylvania six weeks ago, and that he gained ground in the state.
"And now six weeks later, we closed the gap. We rallied people of every age, and race and background to the cause. And, and whether they were inspired for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, we registered a record number of voters and it is those new voters who will lead our party to victory in November," he added.
But before either candidate can turn their sights on the November election against Senator McCain, Democrats must decide which one of them is the nominee. There are nine more contests between now and early June, starting with primaries in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6. Senator Obama is heavily favored to win in North Carolina, and Senator Clinton currently has a slight lead in most voter surveys in Indiana.