Special Report: U.S. presidential election 2008
 |
|
New York Senator and Democratic
presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a
campaign stop in Mishawaka, Indiana March 28, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
BEIJING,
March 29 -- If Hillary Rodham Clinton is feeling heat from pundits and
party elders to quit the race and back Barack Obama, you'd never know it from
her crowds, energy level and upbeat demeanor on the campaign trail.
"There are millions of reasons to continue this race:
people in Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Carolina, and all of the contests yet
to come," Clinton told reporters Friday. "This is a very close race and clearly
I believe strongly that everyone should have their voices heard and their votes
counted."
The former first lady weathered a
two-pronged blow Friday, with influential Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr.
endorsing Obama and another Senate colleague, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy,
urging her to step aside. But to hear Clinton tell it, it was just another day
in an epic primary battle whose result is still not known.
 |
|
New York Senator and Democratic
presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a
campaign stop in Mishawaka, Indiana March 28, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
"I
believe a spirited contest is good for the Democratic Party and will strengthen
the eventual nominee," she said. "We will have a united party behind whomever
that nominee is. ... I look forward to campaigning over the next several
months."
Traveling across Indiana, the former first lady was
greeted by large, enthusiastic audiences who roared their approval at her
proposals to help fix the state's economic challenges.
At events here and in North Carolina on Thursday,
Clinton raised the issue of whether she should quit the race, only to have it
firmly batted down by her supporters.
"There are some people who are saying, you know, we
really ought to end this primary, we just ought to shut it down," she said in
Mishawaka, Ind., drawing cries of "No, no!" inside a packed gymnasium.
In Hammond, she compared the state's struggling steel
industry to her own efforts to fight the odds.
Yet despite the optimistic talk, there is no doubt
that Clinton faces an uphill battle to secure securing her party's nod.
The New York senator reaffirmed her belief that
superdelegates will base their choice on which candidate would make the best
president and would have the best chance to beat Republican John McCain in
November.
All the more reason to look forward to Pennsylvania's
primary April 22, Indiana and North Carolina's May 6 and the handful of others
that follow, Clinton insisted.
"There will be additional information that will
inform those decisions that will come from these upcoming contests," she said.
Asked what she thought of Obama's comment Friday that
the Democratic primary race resembled "a good movie that lasted about a
half-hour too long," Clinton smiled broadly and said, "I like long movies."
(Source: China Daily/Agencies)
U.S. Democratic Party chairman: End
nomination race by July 1
WASHINGTON, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Seeking to avoid a bitter nomination battle at
this summer's Democratic national convention, party chairman Howard Dean said
Friday that he hoped the race would be settled before July 1.
Speaking at CBS-TV's The Early Show, Dean said the nearly
800 "superdelegates" attending the national convention needed to make up their
minds about which candidate to support before that date. Full story
Obama, Hillary Clinton tied in new poll
WASHINGTON, March 27
(Xinhua) -- A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll that came out Thursday found the
two U.S. Democratic presidential hopefuls in a dead heat, each with 45 percent
support from registered Democratic voters.
That is a slight improvement for Sen. Barack Obama, though a statistically insignificant one, from a similar poll held two weeks ago, which had New York Senator Hillary Clinton leading by 47 percent to 43 percent among Democratic voters. Full story
