Hillary soldiers on despite odds

Even as the media pronounced the Democratic presidential nomination race over with Barack Obama overtaking Hillary Clinton in the support of super delegates, his gritty rival was all set to take one last stand on Tuesday.

Even as the media pronounced the Democratic presidential nomination race over with Barack Obama overtaking Hillary Clinton in the support of super delegates, his gritty rival was all set to take one last stand on Tuesday.

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Picking up 21 endorsements since his victory in North Carolina and a narrow loss in Indiana primaries, Obama had by Saturday the backing of 276 key party officials holding the balance of power in the nomination process as against Hillary’s 271.5, according to one count.

Yet amid ever growing calls to quit the White House race, Hillary has doggedly continued her campaign in West Virginia, the next scene of battle Tuesday.

She is widely expected to win there with one poll suggesting she holds a commanding 43-point advantage over Obama in the mountain state thanks to her white working class base. But even a big victory in West Virginia is unlikely to upset Obama’s applecart now.

The cascade of endorsements for Obama virtually sealed the former first lady’s fate as she was banking on their support to anoint her the party nominee even though Obama has won more primaries, has a larger share of popular vote and leads her in the count of delegates, who actually elect the party nominee.

But Hillary argues that as she has won bigger states,she is more electable in the November presidential contest which is held under a winner take all system rather than Democrats’ own proportional one in the allocation of delegates to the presidential electoral college.