|
For the second time in a week, this time in the Kentucky Democratic primary, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) beat Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) convincingly on the backs of white, rural voters. The dynamic between Obama and Clinton has changed considerably since the former first lady’s performances in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries earlier this month. The Illinois senator has clearly moved his sights to presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), and Clinton has largely backed off her intense criticism of Obama. Even though Obama will likely secure the majority of pledged delegates following the Kentucky and Oregon primaries Tuesday, his aides have said in recent days that he will definitely not declare victory in his speech. Obama is scheduled to speak from Iowa, the state that started his climb to the precipice of the Democratic nomination. Despite the daunting math, Clinton has made it clear that she has no intention of throwing in the towel just yet. The New York senator has continued to make the case that the results of the Florida and Michigan primaries should be counted to ensure a legitimate winner, a point she was set to underscore with a campaign trip to South Florida on Wednesday. Clinton’s win in Kentucky highlighted the difficulties Obama has had with white, rural voters, much like he did last week in West Virginia when Clinton bested him by 41 points. Obama has largely ceded the Bluegrass State, focusing his efforts in recent days on McCain and the Oregon primary. Clinton, who was projected to win Kentucky handily, will no doubt continue to use the victory as ammunition to take to superdelegates as she makes her case that she is the more electable Democratic candidate. Former President Bill Clinton won the state in both 1992 and 1996, but since then it has voted strongly in favor of Republican candidates. Just this week, the Clinton campaign claimed that it had moved ahead of Obama in the popular vote total when Michigan and Florida are included, but the argument has been intensely disputed by Obama supporters. Clinton says she will continue to fight for the nomination, but most analysts and party officials seem resigned to the idea that the long and at times bitter nomination battle is coming to an end. After Tuesday, only three contests remain. Clinton has not appeared to be effective in making her case to superdelegates that they should keep their powder dry until the last vote is counted. In the past week, Obama has had significantly more success in picking up superdelegates than Clinton has, especially after picking up high-profile superdelegates like former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Robert Byrd, whose home state of West Virginia provided Clinton with such a wide margin of victory only days before. |
