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CNDemocratic Primaries
Senator Hillary Clinton and rival Barrack Obama split primary victories last night, with Clinton winning Indiana by 2 percentage points and Obama taking North Carolin by a large margin. Yesterday was Clinton's last opportunity to significantly cut into Obama's lead in the delegate count, but the mixed result means that the 187 delegates, which are awarded proportionally, will be split between the two candidates. To be able to clinch the Democratic nomination before the convention, a candidate needs 2,025 state delegates. After the count last night, Clinton now has 1,686 delegates and Obama 1,842.
While behind in the delegate count, Clinton said that she will not pull out of the race. Her campaign argues that Obama can't win the blue-collar vote and that Clinton would be a better nominee because of her victories in the big swing states, like Ohio and Pennsylvania. In her victory speech in Indiana, Clinton again insisted the party count Michigan and Florida's votes, which the party doesn’t recognize because both states scheduled their primaries too early. If counted, Clinton’s victories in both states would help her delegate count substantially.
After the mixed results last night, all eyes are turning to the party’s superdelegates. Made up of the party leadership and members, their votes can propel one or the other candidate to victory. While the votes would be counted at the convention in August, superdelegates are coming under increasing pressure to announce who they will vote for in June. Democratic Party leader Howard Dean is pushing for a decision soon, as his House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Many in the party feel that the prolonged contest between Clinton and Obama will hurt the party's chances in the general election in November.
