Obama, Clinton each get a win, but his delegate lead widens

His decisive victory in North Carolina shows he can rebound from setbacks, analysts say.

posted May 7, 2008 at 6:47 am EST

Page 2 of 2

Page 1 | 2

For her part, Clinton remained unbowed, declaring in her victory speech in Indianapolis that "it's full speed on to the White House."

"Tonight, Hoosiers have said that you do want a president who stands strong for you, a president who is ready on Day 1 to take charge as commander in chief and keep our families safe; a president who knows how to make this economy work for hard-working middle-class families," she said to cheers from the crowd in Indianapolis just after 11 p.m. Tuesday.

But Clinton also sounded a note of conciliation.

"I know that people are watching this race and they're wondering, I win, he wins, I win, he wins. It's so close," she said. "But I can assure you, as I have said on many occasions, that no matter what happens I will work for the nominee of the Democratic Party, because we must win in November."

Clinton in recent weeks has cast herself as the champion of the working class, knocking back a shot of whiskey and riding shot-gun in a supporter's pickup truck. That helped her edge out Obama in Indiana, 51 percent to 49 percent. According to exit polls, she won 64 percent of whites who do not have college degrees. But that effort to reach out to the working class, and men in particular, cost her support among some women. Clinton won 58 percent of the votes of white men and 61 percent of white women in Indiana, according to exit polls. That's less than the almost 70 percent of white women she won in earlier contests in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The delegate math, however, poses a challenge for Clinton. Though each candidate won a state on Tuesday, the delegates are awarded on the basis of the share of votes each garnered. That means Obama will win almost as many Indiana delegates as Clinton and considerably more North Carolina delegates. The two states had not finished allocating delegates at press time, but Obama has widened his overall lead, with 1,840 delegates compared with Clinton's 1,684, according to Associated Press reports Wednesday morning. To win the Democratic nomination, a candidate needs 2,025 delegates. Only 456 remain up for grabs.

Some pundits argue it's time for Clinton to bow out so the party can have time to unify and prepare for November. Others say Clinton's decision to carry on to the last primary in June is good for the Democratic Party because it allows leaders organize and energize voters in all of the states and territories.

"[Clinton] has large majority of support among Democrats on that. They seem to want every state to have a chance to vote," says Mr. Sabato. "That's very much in keeping with the philosophy of the Democratic Party."

1 | Page 2