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Clinton savours Kentucky win
21/05/2008 07:15 - (SA)
Louisville, Kentucky - Predictions of political doom failed to penetrate a cramped downtown hotel ballroom where a beaming Hillary Clinton and die-hard supporters kept alive her long-shot hope of winning the presidency on Tuesday.
As her rival prepared to claim a "milestone" majority of elected delegates in the race for the Democratic nomination at a massive rally in Iowa, Clinton mounted a stage in Louisville, Kentucky, with a smile so wide it could have been her inauguration.
There was no band. There were no streamers or balloons. A temporary wall was pulled across the ballroom to make the crowd look bigger.
But the raucous cheers of her devoted supporters muffled Clinton's words again and again as she vowed to keep fighting "until we have a nominee, whoever she may be".
"Some have said your votes didn't matter, that this campaign was over, that allowing everyone to vote and every vote to count would somehow be a mistake," Clinton said, standing against a backdrop of sign-waving supporters and a massive American flag.
"But that didn't stop you. You've never given up on me because you know I'll never give up on you."
A landslide 65-to-30% win in this small state known for its bourbon and horse races handed Clinton a lead of more than 240 000 votes, bolstering her contested claim that she is beating Obama in the popular vote.
While Obama's victory in Oregon on Tuesday should narrow the gap, Clinton has won about 276 000 more votes if contests in Michigan and Florida are included in the tally, according to independent website RealClearPolitics.com.
Results in those two states were voided by Democratic bosses over a scheduling row, but Clinton insists they should be counted.
- AFP
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US Elections Special Report
