|
Hillary set for landslide wins
12/05/2008 19:11 - (SA)
Washington - New polls on Monday predicted landslide wins for Hillary Clinton in two looming primaries, despite pressure for her to cede to Barack Obama's mathematical lock on the Democratic White House race.
The former first lady, who is insisting she will battle on, even as Obama turns his sights on Republican presumptive nominee John McCain, led her foe by 60 points to 24 in the latest poll out of West Virginia, which votes on Tuesday.
In Kentucky, which holds its primary on May 20, Clinton was up 58 to 31.
Huge wins in the two states would do little to loosen Obama's control of the Democratic nominating contest, but could underscore his struggle to win over white, working-class voters which could prove a problem in November's election.
The Obama campaign has launched a 50-state voter registration drive and both sides are trying to woo independent voters and readying attack ads as soon as the epic Democratic race is over.
But a defiant Clinton was campaigning across West Virginia on the eve of the primary, while Obama was making stops in the state and in Kentucky.
A Suffolk University poll in West Virginia had Clinton leading Obama by 60% to 24%, and 67% of Democratic voters said she should stay in the race, despite calls for her to quit.
Poor omen for Obama
David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Centre said the poll was a poor omen for Obama in the general election.
"Barack Obama may have to write off West Virginia come November," he said.
In a Herald-Leader/WKYT Kentucky Poll of probable Democratic voters, Clinton led by 58% of 31%, though the survey showed neither Democrat would beat McCain in November.
Clinton trails Obama in nominating delegates, nominating contests won and the popular vote going into the latest primaries, with only six more contests left in the long Democratic race.
Following Obama's victory in North Carolina last week, and his narrow loss in Indiana, Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod said on Fox News on Sunday: "We're coming to the end of the process.
"And I think there's an eagerness on the part of the party leadership and activists across the country to get on with the general election campaign," he said.
Momentum against Clinton
With Obama seeking to build up irresistible momentum against Clinton, the Democrats' camps denied they were in talks to end their White House race through a deal to cancel Clinton's campaign debt or on the vice presidency.
This debt, aides acknowledged, has now reached $20m.
On NBC, Clinton's national campaign chairperson Terry McAuliffe agreed that "something big would have to happen" for the New York senator to beat Obama to the nomination. But he added: "We're not going anywhere."
Heading into Tuesday's West Virginia primary, Obama has for the first time pulled ahead of Clinton in support from the superdelegates, who look set to crown the party's champion against McCain.
|
News
