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Race for President
 According to the Associated Press, Hillary Clinton will concede - at least, the point - that Barack Obama will have the delegate support he needs to become the Democrat nominee. It is unlikely that Clinton will end or suspend her campaign as this would make more cumbersome the process of raising money to pay down her debt:The former first lady will stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City. She will pledge to continue to speak out on issues like health care. But for all intents and purposes, the two senior officials said, the campaign is over. UPDATE: 10:15am Adding to the reasons she won't shut down the operation: The advisers said Clinton has made a strategic decision to not formally end her campaign, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues he should focus on in the fall, such as health care. ...but... According to Clinton campaign flak Terry McAullife, she be conceding if Obama can total 2118 delegates: McAuliffe, who appeared on NBC's Today Show, touted Clinton's success in the popular vote when anchor Meredith Vieira interrupted to say: "But, then again, it is not about the votes, it is about that number, 2,118 delegates," to which he replied "sure." UPDATE: 10:20am Clinton and her campaign are now denying the aforementioned AP report that Clinton will concede tonight. It's possible what we'll see tonight is the non-concession concession - a not-so-distant relative of the non-apology apology. Clinton will admit Obama has the delegates to win the nomination, but she'll spuriously step around the obvious and logical correlation: her withdrawal from the race. With Clinton so far into campaign debt, she has no reason to officially drop out of this race. Even more so when you consider the tenuous nature of the Democrat nomination process, where the superdelegates can change their votes up until the convention vote. UPDATE: 10:50am Terry McAullife is now backing off his own comments that Clinton would acknowledge Obama as the nominee tonight: Terry McAuliffe rejected as "100 percent incorrect" an Associated Press report that Clinton is preparing to acknowledge that Obama has the delegates to win the nomination Tuesday night as the five-month Democratic primary process comes to a close. UPDATE: 2:00pm It looks like Clinton's refusal to acknowledge when it's over has been going on for a while... UPDATE: 4:15pm The Associated Press - certainly driving today's election coverage - has declared Obama has enough delegates to clinch the Democrat nomination: Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, becoming the first black candidate to lead a major party into a campaign for the White House. Both Obama and McCain will begin to turn on their guns on each other, as McCain is also set to deliver his opening salvo in the General Election contest: John McCain will launch his general election campaign against Barack Obama tonight at 9:00 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In a speech that will praise Senator Clinton for her "tenacity and courage," McCain will recognize Obama as the Democratic party's presumptive nominee. McCain is also indicating - and also not surprisingly - he intends to woo disgruntled Clinton backers to his side: John McCain portrayed her as a trailblazing model for aspring female politicians yesterday and now one of his top surrogates and vice-presidential prospects is taking the next natural step and promising that they'll compete for Hillary Clinton's supporters. Pawlenty, always a hawkish McCain ally, is (we believe) the leading contender for the Vice Presidential slot. He seems to fit the bill perfectly: young, conservative, two-term governor from a traditionally non-GOP state (Minnesota) that potentially be placed in play for the General Election. The RealClearPolitics poll average gives Obama an 11 point advantage in a state that Gore won by 2.4% and Kerry won by 3.5% Not one to want to be lift out of the conversation, Clinton is already dropping hints she's interested in the Veep slot: Hillary Rodham Clinton has told congressional colleagues she would be open to becoming Barack Obama's vice presidential nominee, saying she would consider it if it would help Democrats win the White House. Shocking... Filed Under: Race for President E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format |
Countdown to Election Day
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