Clinton Challenges Obama to Texas Showdown
McALLEN, TEX. -- Hillary Clinton told reporters that despite her 8 straight losses to Barack Obama, she is ready to take him on in Texas on March 4.
"I want to congratulate Senator Obama on his recent victories and tell him to meet me in Texas, we're ready."
Clinton said she is confident about her chances in the Lone Star State and vowed to campaign vigorously there.
"We are organizing and focused on doing tremendous effort across the state from one end to the next," she told reporters today in McAllen.
When asked about her losses last night in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, Clinton downplayed any significance saying, "I think everybody knew that he was favored there. My husband lost Maryland when he was running in the primary. We go on. We're ready for the contests that are upcoming. There are hundreds of delegates that will be in play on March the 4th we are well organized and well positioned."
Clinton and Obama are neck and neck int he delegate race and both campaigns continue to focus on key states that will help boost their delegate tally and with over 300 delegates up for grabs on March 4th, the focus will remain on Ohio and Texas.
"As you know, I will back here in a week for some big rallies and I will be covering as much ground as possible," Clinton said.
"The key is to end up with 2,025 delegates," Clinton added. "2,025, that's our objective and I feel very good about what we will be doing here and the states that we'll be competing in in the coming weeks."
"This is a long journey to the nomination. Some weeks, you know, one of us is up and the other is down and then we reverse it and as many of you have followed this from the very beginning know this is a long and winding road."
Earlier she unveiled a sharpened stump speech at a rally in McAllen saying, "There is a very important choice and a big difference between the candidates in this race. I am in the solutions business, my opponent is in the promises business. I think we need answers and not questions about what we are going to do about moving forward."
"As we move into this incredibly important primary in Texas, we need to be comparing and contrasting. We need to be looking at each of our records…you know the reality today, workers incomes are down our economy is losing jobs the housing crisis is spreading. I have solutions to these economic challenges, the question today is does Senator Obama?" The crowd yelled, "No!"
Clinton told the crowd of 2,000, "We need real results, not more rhetoric. We need to get back to the solutions business, that's why I have a plan for universal health care, stop these foreclosures and put people back to work!"
Clinton, who has often called herself a "policy wonk," knows that her best bet to win Texas is to start to give voters a final choice between her and Obama. Throughout her speech she often used the word "real" to describe her polices.
"My campaign is about 21st century solutions to the problems that we face. Let's get real about the future," said Clinton.
The campaign will return to Texas next week after visiting Ohio, another March 4 state, and Wisconsin, which votes next Tuesday.