Hillary: In 'until there's a nominee'
Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 5:01 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V. -- Hillary Clinton wasted little time reaffirming her intention to see the Democratic contest through, telling reporters that she is “staying in this race until there’s a nominee.”
“And I obviously am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee,” she said. “That is what I’ve done; that’s what I’m continuing to do.”
The statement, made barely 12 hours after most news organizations finally called Indiana for Clinton, comes despite increasing pressure for her to step aside, given the shrinking mathematical window to reach the delegate threshold (whichever it is) and the perception that a prolonged fight will hurt the party’s standard bearer.
“I just don’t believe that,” Clinton said of the latter view. “We’ve had a historic, record turnout by both of us bringing people into the Democratic Party. … And I think we can build on that going forward.”
She added that her husband didn’t secure the nomination in 1992 until June and was successful, while John Kerry, an Obama supporter, was the nominee by March 2004 and lost to George Bush. She also said that under Republican Party rules, she'd have won the nomination by now.
“So this is a dynamic electoral environment,” she said. “What matters is what strength you have going into the general election, who you’re going to be able to bring to your side, and what the electoral map will look like.”
To drive that point home, campaign aides pointed out to reporters that no Democratic candidate has won the White House without winning West Virginia since Woodrow Wilson.
“If the Obama campaign wants to prove that they can do well with working class swing voters, West Virginia is a good opportunity to do so,” spokesperson Mo Elleithee said.
Addressing the delegate math, Clinton said 2,210 was indeed a magic number because it counts Michigan and Florida, which she hopes to see resolved. “To leave it hanging or to in any way discount and reject the votes of the people of Michigan and Florida would haunt us in the fall.”
Pointed out that she has seen her standing among another key demographic, African-American voters, shrink with each election, Clinton said she was confident that they’d support her because of the “stark” differences between her and John McCain. And she implied that she was surer of their support for her than others for Obama.
“What we have not been able to count on in the last elections are the voters I’m getting,” she said. “Women, particularly lower-income women, didn’t vote for John Kerry. “Hispanics didn’t come out for Sen. Kerry in the numbers that people had hoped for. Working people are really a part of the base that we lost that we’re trying to win back. So, I’m sure that whoever the nominee is will make a very strong case to put together the numbers you need to get to the electoral vote magic 270, but I think the base I’ve put together in these primaries is a stronger place to start from.”
During the press conference, Clinton also addressed her latest loan of personal funds to her campaign, calling it a sign of commitment to the effort.
“My supporters have been incredibly generous. They are putting money into this campaign on an hourly basis,” she said. “I’m trying to make sure that their investment is a good one, because we are being outspent, everybody knows that.”
During an earlier 20-minute speech, Clinton was neither defiant nor defeated, as she pledged to fight at least through this state's primary next week, which she called "one of the most important elections in this entire process."
"I personally believe that West Virginia is one of those so-called swing states Democrats need to win it in the fall," Clinton said at a hastily arranged event outside of McMurran Hall at Shepherd College. "I want to start by winning it in the spring, to lay the groundwork for victory in November."
Clinton never mentioned Obama in the speech, not even a passing reference to "my opponent." And there was no acknowledgement of the increasing pressure she is facing, only a statement at about her narrow win in the Hoosier State.
"We were very excited about our come-from-behind victory in Indiana, where people are concerned about the economy," she said. "There's a lot of reasons why I think we came from eight or so points from behind to win, and it's because people really know they need a president again who's going to focus complete attention on making sure you have the jobs that will give you living wages that'll give you a chance to have a better life."
Several hundred, including sign-brandishing Obama supporters, came to an event that was originally advertised as an appearance by Chelsea Clinton. The campaign said that the New York senator wanted to immediately return to the campaign trail to work for votes in the remaining contests. Her tentative schedule still calls for a return trip to West Virginia tomorrow, followed by stops in South Dakota and Oregon.
