WASHINGTON — She’s still fighting, but it’s awfully hard to find encouraging news for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic homestretch.
She’s behind in money, delegates and momentum. She’s selling experience when everyone seems to want change. And all the cheering for the man who could be the first black president is drowning out any excitement for the first female.
Once deemed the nearly inevitable Democratic nominee, Clinton has now lost 10 presidential contests in a row as the battle heads for a March 4 showdown in Texas and Ohio — states she must win. By most measures, the combative New York senator is on the ropes.
“If she wins in Texas and Ohio, I think she’ll be the nominee,” former President Clinton said Wednesday during a speech to his wife’s supporters in Beaumont, Texas. “If you don’t deliver for her, I don’t think she can be.”
Those are big “ifs.”
Rival Democrat Barack Obama won Hawaii caucuses and Wisconsin’s primary on Tuesday, extending his winning streak and making him difficult to overtake in the remaining 16 races. Clinton hasn’t won a contest since Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.
Helping keep her afloat is her thin lead among nearly 800 superdelegates, made up largely of party and elected Democratic officials — but some of those who once backed her have recently switched to Obama. Others seem rattled.
“It’s fair to say the race isn’t over yet, but I think Senator Clinton must win Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania to have any shot at getting the nomination,” said Democratic strategist and pollster Mark Mellman. “Obama could lose all three and still get the nomination. So at this point, he’s got more ways to win than she does.” Pennsylvania votes on April 22.
One by one, Clinton’s original strengths have taken hits as the first-term Illinois senator’s vital signs have improved.
Raising a million dollars a day for most of this year, Obama has outpaced Clinton in fundraising and spending. “Anybody who won’t tell you it’s disheartening is lying to you,” said one of Clinton’s New York fundraisers, John Catsimatidis. “The old adage is don’t count the Clintons out yet. I still stick by that. We wait and see what happens.”
She’s behind in delegates, and the gap has been growing. She must win 57 percent of the remaining primary and caucus delegates to erase Obama’s lead, a daunting task requiring landslide-sized victories. Obama has 1,178 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses in The Associated Press’ count. Clinton has 1,024. An additional 1,025 remain to be awarded; it takes 2,025 to win the nomination.
Momentum? That clearly goes to Obama, who has been building support among women and white working-class voters who have long formed the core of Clinton’s candidacy.
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