Obama Claims Oregon Win After Clinton Strikes Gold in Kentucky Primary
Tuesday: The Obamas celebrated an Oregon primary victory in Des Monies, Iowa, while the Clintons cheered on her Kentucky victory in Louisville. (AP Photos)
Hillary Clinton scored a blowout victory in the Kentucky Democratic primary Tuesday, hours before Barack Obama confidently claimed a majority of pledged delegates for the Democratic nomination with a win in Oregon.
Obama was winning by about 16 points with 86 percent of the votes in, in Oregon’s all mail-in primary.
The Obama campaign quickly calculated Tuesday evening that it had achieved what it called a critical “milestone” in Obama’s seemingly inexorable march toward the nomination. With the expected results from Oregon, Obama has a majority of the pledged delegates, but not a majority among all delegates.
Obama will still be 60-70 delegates short of a majority among all delegates to the convention — both the pledged and the unpledged superdelegates — when Oregon votes are fully counted.
The Democratic front-runner claimed Tuesday night at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, that he had captured most of the pledged delegates at stake in the 56 Democratic contests.
“We have returned to Iowa with a majority of delegates elected by the American people, and you have put us within reach of the Democratic nomination for president of the United States,” Obama declared at the site of his Jan. 3 caucus triumph.
His decision to hold his primary-night rally in a state the campaign considers important to Democrats in November was a sign that Obama is looking straight ahead to the general election.
In his address, he attempted to reach out to Clinton and urge Democrats to unite against presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.
“We’ve had our disagreements during this campaign, but we all admire her courage, and her commitment and her perseverance,” Obama said of Clinton. “And no matter how this primary ends, Senator Clinton has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and your daughters will come of age. And for that we are grateful to her.”
The campaign claimed the pledged-delegate milestone earlier in an e-mail to supporters, as his aides touted the achievement.
“I don’t think anybody has ever won the majority of pledged delegates and have not been the nominee of the party, so it’s obviously very important, but we are going to fight for every delegate and finish out the process,” Obama strategist David Axelrod told reporters.
But Clinton won the Kentucky primary by a better than 2-to-1 margin. The win comes one week after Clinton trounced Obama by 41 points in West Virginia, exposing the Democratic front-runner’s weaknesses among whites, working-class voters and other groups.
“Tonight we’ve achieved an important victory,” Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd at her victory rally earlier in Louisville, Ky. “It’s not just Kentucky bluegrass that’s music to my ears, it’s the sound of your overwhelming vote of confidence, even in the face of some pretty tough odds.”
With 100 percent of precincts reporting in Kentucky, Clinton won 65-30 percent.
Seventy-one percent of white voters, 78 percent of seniors and 68 percent of voters without college degrees went for Clinton in Kentucky, according to FOX News exit polls.
The exit polls showed that 64 percent of Clinton voters still think she will win the Democratic nomination.
Click here to see photos from the Kentucky and Oregon primaries.
Clinton’s performance Tuesday — and its campaign financing haul for the month of April — gave the campaign the wind it needs to stay in the race.
“I’m more determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot counted,” Clinton said Tuesday, again claiming she has the popular vote lead. She claims that lead by counting the Michigan and Florida primaries, which were discounted because the states held early contests in violation of party rules.
Party officials are scheduled to meet later this month to consider how — or whether — to seat all or part of the states’ delegates, and the Clinton campaign is continuing to fight for those states’ delegates.
“We’re back. We continue to raise money, we continue to win states. This thing goes on. I don’t know why people are saying this is over,” Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe told FOX News.
McAuliffe earlier told reporters that campaign finance filings will show April was Clinton’s second-best fundraising month of the race. Her campaign later said she earned $22 million for the month. In April, Obama raised more than $31 million for the primary race.
With her Kentucky victory, Clinton picked up at least 33 delegates to at least 14 for Obama with an additional four yet to be awarded.
But Obama still leads overall and has steadily picked up momentum as he drives toward the 2,026 delegates needed to become the nominee of his party.
As Oregon was tallied, Obama had 1,956 total delegates, putting him within 100 of the 2,026 needed. The former first lady had 1,775.
Obama weeks ago predicted Clinton would win Kentucky. The Clinton campaign similarly indicated that Obama would likely win Oregon, where Obama invested his time and drew a crowd estimated at 75,000 over the weekend
The Beaver State has 52 delegates. It also had the distinction of staging the only contest without a designated polling day. Instead, under a vote-by-mail system, election officials tallied all ballots received by 11 p.m. on primary day.
The only primaries remaining are in Puerto Rico, on June 1, followed two days later by South Dakota and Montana.
Republicans, too, were holding primary contests in Oregon and Kentucky, but these were “beauty contests,” as McCain wrapped up the nomination more than two months ago.
FOX News’ Steve Brown and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Anyone know about women’s lib.?? Here is what is happening.It is a great thrill to know a female is vying to win the Presidential nomination..the very thought is overwhelming…so all females who never took the time to understand the abc’s of politics are voting for guess whom??? Hillary!!Now let us turn the tide.In the November election…bye bye to Hillary and OBAMA HAS MCCAIN Listen carefully…all will be color blind and vote for Obama because they all want what all Democrats want…A CHANGE SURVIVAL . FOR THEIR CHILDREEN AND GRANDCHILDREN
OTHERWISE THEY ARE ADMITTING THEY ARE STUPID!!
I am a supporter of Barack Obama, and I am a woman. I do not in any way, shape, or form support Hillary Clinton. I believe her to be very much like the other politicians that we need to get rid of, and I don’t trust her. But if she does win the democratic nomination for President, I will vote for her in lieu of John McCain. In my view she is the lesser of two evils.
It is sad to hear that women will vote for the other party, if Hillary is not nominated. This is about the good of our country, not personal vendettas. Get real ladies!
Comment by Cindy
Thousands and thousands of us Hillary Supporting women are WITH YOU, PENNY—-WE WILL REFUSE TO VOTE, ALSO, IN THE GENERAL ELECTION if obama is chosen the Nominee. That is NOT A THREAT. It is a promise.
HILLARY is the BEST chance for Democrats to win back the White House in 2008.
PLEASE do not just “not vote”…..it would almost be like supporting Obama……get out and vote, VOTE MCCAIN and in 2012 we can welcome Hillary back with open arms !!!!!!!!
I am an independent who votes candidates, not party. I have listened closely to all candidates during their campaigns. I have come to support Hillary Clinton. At this point, in the general election, I will likely support John McCain over Barack Obama, who appears to be the likely democratic nominee. Race nor gender have anything to do with my choice. I am completely turned off by those who accuse someone of racism if they do not support Obama. There is no denying that racism and sexism do not exist in this and other countries. However, I think we are ignoring that supporting someone because of their race or gender, is in fact racism or sexism. I have become saddened and discouraged by the bitterness and hostility expressed by supporters in the democratic primaries. Fortunately, I think John McCain is a maverick republican who will not be an extension of George Bush. It looks very much like the democrats are going to nominate someone who will not be able to keep his promise of “unifying”. The bottom line for me is that we need a President with real, Relevant experience with the problems our country is facing Today. This is not the ’60’s of the JFK presidency.
I am so sick and tired of hearing the name OBAMA!!!!!!!!…Although I am not a democrat, and certainly not a fan of Hillary…I do feel that she has got a bad deal from the media, Times and Newsweeks, etc. Everytime you read something about the election, it is always Obama. You would believe that he is the only candidate in this race…And, I do hope that Hillary and Bill have learned a lesson from this..and that is that black people will ALWAYS vote black, no matter WHO is running against them..and even if the black person, such as Obama, does not have the qualifications………This has NOT been a FAIR election for Hillary……..I truly scratch my head wondering what in the world do people ‘idolize’ this guy Obama for??!!!! Although I am voting for McCain..which is the only one of the three who is qualified…I do feel bad for Hillary and the bad deal the democrats have given her.
Well I live in WV and I didn’t vote for Hillary but did vote for Bill. I think Bill is a big reason for her winning most contests but especially in WV and another big reason is she spent more time in the state and it is all about recognition in WV. I may not have all the facts, I can see that a woman in this race does give all women a chance to be heard that they may not have again for a long time, but to vote for McCain because your mad is basically admitting that your not a true Democrat in the first place. Hillary and Obama are fighting to get Bush and others like him out of power and a vote for McCain is a vote for Bush cause they are the same person. I wasn’t aware that women voters lose their head completely when they get mad. Yep I may have been a little sexist and racist in my time but I am still voting for Obama. Basically I don’t think the world is ready to put a woman in the seat of power, no matter who her husband is. I also don’t think just because you have been around the president would make you a good one also.
In the past weeks Hillery has won more of the nessary states again amoung the people that this country is based on & won 58 to 37 delegates from Oregon & Kentucky combine from what I saw. The other states has been more than Obama too. She won all the states that is”needed” for the main election. I know the rules are the first to reach 2,026 points. Obama won the states that are normally liberals & republicans. Now Mccain maybe gets these states when both parties starts, With the way the people feel about Obama (voting for McCain) if elected in these states that Hillery have won. I don’t see him getting these states now that he was crying about it being racial. Now I’m not a raciest toward anyone. But if Obama will stop throwing his weight around & stop planning ahead, before the norminee is chosen? I have alot of friends that says he criticizes the whites too much as being racial, when he’s not sure if they are. My black uncle was well loved. My friends go for a candidate who would be the strongest & can take criticism & doesn’t jump around issues that are important without the “other’s help”. He is making the racial divide himself out of people who have voted for him to be where he is today! Anyway, the people (us) didn’t move you closer, the superdelegates did? WHY?? Please review his resime more closely. I see a lot of downfalls in his main duty & handling of critics