Obama banking on victory in Mississippi

Barack Obama, locked in a tight and contentious race with Hillary Clinton, is tipped to win today’s primary in Mississippi as the two Democrats battled for every last delegate in their historic contest for the party’s presidential nomination.

Mr Obama defeated Mrs Clinton in a minor contest in Wyoming on Saturday and retains the all-important overall delegate lead. But he was hit by losses to the former first lady in three out of four primaries last week.

His prospects look good in Mississippi, where blacks make up the majority of Democratic voters.

Mr Obama, who is seeking to become the first black US president, has been carried to victory by their votes in other southern states.

The Illinois senator campaigned in Mississippi, and mocked Mrs Clinton’s suggestion that he could be her running mate.

Saying he wanted to be “absolutely clear,” he told supporters: “I don’t want anybody here thinking that somehow, ’Well, you know, maybe I can get both.’ Don’t think that way. You have to make a choice in this election.”

“I am not running for vice president,” Mr Obama added. “I am running for president of the United States of America.”

Obama aides said Mrs Clinton’s recent hints that she might welcome him as her vice presidential candidate appeared intended to diminish him and to attract undecided voters in the remaining primary states by suggesting they can have a “dream ticket”.

“I don’t know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to someone who is in first place,” Mr Obama said, drawing cheers and a standing ovation from about 1,700 people in Columbus, Mississippi.

Mrs Clinton and her husband Bill, the former president, had suggested recently that a Clinton-Obama ticket would be popular and formidable against Republican Senator John McCain in November.

“A lot of Democrats like us both and have been very hopeful that they wouldn’t have to make a choice but obviously Democrats have to make a choice and I’m looking forward to getting the nomination,” Mrs Clinton said in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“And it’s preliminary to talk about whoever might be on whose ticket.”

After a weekend break from public campaign events, the Democratic contenders travelled in different directions Monday.

Mr Obama had rallies in Mississippi, where 33 delegates are at stake, while Mrs Clinton campaigned in Pennsylvania, the next major battleground.

The northeastern state’s April 22 primary offers the biggest prize left in the nomination race: 158 delegates.

Mrs Clinton scored campaign-saving victories in Ohio and Texas last week after 11 straight losses to Mr Obama.

In the overall race for the nomination, Mr Obama leads with 1,578 delegates to Mrs Clinton’s 1,468. It will take 2,025 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.