Clinton stays in race with Pennsylvania win

Hillary Clinton pulled off the win she needed in Pennsylvania last night to stay in the race and keep her presidential aspirations alive.

But the former first lady’s 10-point victory, with 96% of the vote counted, over front-runner Barack Obama in the Keystone State left the race for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination largely unchanged.

It was not the 15-point victory which many pundits predicted would have dented Mr Obama’s national lead, but it was enough to keep her in contention and possibly stave off calls from senior Democrats for her to quit the race for the sake of the party for a few more weeks.

Political analysts will now wait to see whether any superdelegates, the 800 party officials whose votes will be crucial in deciding the party’s nominee, declare their support for either candidate in the next few days as a result of the contest.

Speaking in Philadelphia with her husband former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea at her side, Mrs Clinton told supporters: “Today, here in Pennsylvania, you made your voices heard and, because of you, the tide is turning.”

She said the stakes were high and the challenges great, but the possibilities were “endless” with a president who was ready to lead on day one.

“Some people counted me out and said to drop out, but the American people don’t quit and they deserve a president who doesn’t quit either,” she said.

As she pledged to continue her fight, she made a prominent appeal for funds to help save her campaign which recently reported debts of 10 million dollars (£5m).

“Tonight, more than ever, I need your help to continue this journey,” she said.

“This is your campaign and this is your victory tonight. Your support has meant the difference between winning and losing.

“We can only keep winning if we can keep competing with an opponent who outspends us so massively.”

As the crowd booed the reference to Mr Obama, she encouraged them to visit her campaign website and “show your support tonight”.

“The future of this campaign is in your hands,” she said.

The 60-year-old New York senator said she had been outspent “three-to-one” by her “formidable opponent” and had still won in the state.

The former first lady said her victory was “deeply personal”.

“I’m in this race to fight for you, to fight for everyone who’s ever been counted out,” she said.

“You know you can count on me to stand up strong for you every single day in the White House. This is a historic race.”

Earlier, as she came on stage to chants of “Hillary, Hillary”, she said: “It’s a long road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and it runs right through the heart of Pennsylvania.”

She added: “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but if you’re ready, I’m ready.

“I might stumble and I might get knocked down, but as long as you’re with me I will always get right back up.

“For me, the question isn’t whether we can keep America’s promise, it’s whether we will keep America’s promise.”

Tuesday’s victory, on the back of wins in Texas, California, Ohio and her home state of New York, will boost Mrs Clinton’s claim that she has a strong record in the big states where Mr Obama appears to struggle.

The race now moves to Indiana, which goes to the polls along with North Carolina on May 6, and the 46-year-old Illinois senator wasted no time in leaving Pennsylvania for the new battleground.

Shortly after his rival finished speaking, Mr Obama took to the stage at a rally in Evansville, Indiana, to congratulate his opponent on running a “terrific race”.

He urged America to make this election about making the nation “a beacon of all that is good and of all that is possible for all of mankind”.

Mr Obama said his campaign’s task was not simply to win the nomination, or the general election, but to “keep this country’s promise alive in the 21st century”.

He added it was easy to “get caught up in the distractions, the silliness, and the tit-for tat that consumes our politics”.

He said the bickering, which no-one was immune to, trivialised the key issues of “two wars, an economy in recession, (and) a planet in peril”.

He said his campaign had “closed the gap” on Mrs Clinton in Pennsylvania and added: “Now it’s up to you Indiana.”

In the speech he specifically criticised Republican John McCain for offering “four more years” of President George W Bush’s policies on the war and taxes.

“We already know John McCain offers more of the same,” he said.

He also criticised Mrs Clinton, but without naming his Democratic rival.

“We can’t afford to play the same Washington games and expect a different result, not this time,” he said.

“We can calculate and poll-test our positions and tell everyone exactly what they want to hear.

“Or we can be the party that doesn’t just focus on how to win, but why we should.”

Mr Obama also appeared to refer to a new Clinton campaign advert which features an image of al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

“We can be a party that thinks the only way to look tough on national security is to talk and act and vote like George Bush and John McCain.

“We can use fear as a tactic, the threat of terrorism to scare up votes, or we can decide the real strength is asking the tough questions before we send our troops in to fight.”

He added he was not a perfect man and “will not be a perfect president” but said he would be honest and fight for Americans “every single day for the next four, or eight, years”.