CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Hillary Clinton celebrated a blowout victory over Barack Obama in the Democratic primary in West Virginia last night, as enthusiastic supporters sought to help deflect mounting pressures for her to exit the race.
"I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard," Clinton said after early results showed her carrying the state by a 2-to-1 margin. She gave no hint that she was ready to withdraw from a contest that growing numbers of longtime allies say now appears out of reach.
"The bottom line is this: The White House is won in the swing states, and I am winning in the swing states," she said in remarks tailored to the remaining undeclared superdelegates who will determine the Democratic nominee.
Some supporters in West Virginia, whose voters went to the polls in record numbers yesterday, brushed aside calls for Clinton to quit and described implausible scenarios that they said could propel her into the lead.
But others were more pragmatic about the prospect of a general election match-up between Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain.
Jill Cochran, 54, a computer trainer from Dunbar, predicted that Clinton "would find a graceful way out" after next week's primaries in Kentucky and Oregon.
Cochran said she'd be "just fine" with that decision and would willingly back Obama in the fall, noting that policy differences between the candidates are slim.
"The Democrats have two very good candidates for president, while the Republicans don't have any," she said before Clinton spoke to a small crowd at the Charleston Civic Center last night.
The West Virginia outcome did little to change the fundamental status of the race. Obama holds a lead in pledged delegates, in superdelegates and in the popular vote, and he has won in more states. Yesterday, he picked up an additional four superdelegates. Even with Clinton receiving a solid majority of the 28 pledged delegates awarded in West Virginia, the delegate gap Obama has opened cannot be closed in the remaining five contests.
Obama did not campaign actively in West Virginia and has embarked on a schedule that focuses as much on swing states important to the general election as those with remaining primaries.
