The primary season is winding down
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
Today, Hillary Clinton campaigns in West Virginia, Barack Obama in both West Virginia and Kentucky in what his top aide predicted is the beginning of the end of the Democratic primary season. West Virginia's primary is tomorrow.
West Virginia and Kentucky are both states where Hillary Clinton is expecting big wins. But they could also be the states that hand Barack Obama enough delegates to declare himself the nominee.
For Hillary Clinton in Grafton, West Virginia, Mother's Day was another day on the job, ever-determined. Sen. Clinton said "It's not over till the lady in the pant suit says it is!" Clinton also went to church in Huntington with her daughter Chelsea.
Today, she makes four stops in the state.She wants to show strong support tomorrow among women and white-collar voters. Clinton's Campaign Strategist Howard Wolfson says "she has millions of supporters who are standing with her, urging her to keep going and that's what we're going to do."
In Oregon, Barack Obama talked like it's over. Sen. Obama said "The American people have a clear choice in November when I'm the nominee." Obama will be in Missouri, a November swing state, when West Virginia returns come in.
Obama and Republican John McCain are expecting a head-to-head fight. They're weighing possible joint town meetings and debates this summer, ruling out a Clinton factor, as former candidate John Edwards said he sees risk in the Clinton-Obama fight dragging on more.
Former presidential candidate John Edwards said, "She has to be really careful that she's not damaging our prospects, the Democratic Party and our cause, for the fall."
Even a West Virginia win for Clinton would mean sharing delegates with Obama, pushing him closer to the nomination he sees as a foregone conclusion.
Barack Obama's campaign has now launched a 50-state voter registration drive. Another sign that Obama is preparing to declare the nomination his, even if Hillary Clinton is not.
