Clinton To Superdelegates: "We Are Winning The Popular Vote"
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO -- Hillary Clinton reached out to uncommitted superdelegates at a celebration rally in Puerto Rico after a double-digit win on the island helped push Clinton past Barack Obama in the popular vote, according to the Clinton campaign's count.
"We are winning the popular vote," Clinton told the crowd, but she reminded supporters eager to see Clinton as their nominee that Democratic Party rules do not award the nomination to a candidate based on popular vote, rather through delegate votes.
"So when the voting concludes on Tuesday, neither Senator Obama nor I will have the number of delegates to be the nominee," Clinton said. "I will lead the popular vote, he will maintain a slight lead in the delegate count. The decision will fall on those leaders in our party empowered by the rules to vote in the Democratic convention. I do not envy the decision you have to make, but a decision has to be made."
Her analysis of the delegate count isn't totally accurate, however. After Tuesday, Obama will be very close to clinching the nomination, even if no superdelegates endorse him between now and then. And in terms of pledged delegates, he has already received a majority of those, so there's no possible way she can catch him in that count.
With the nomination winding down, the only thing left for Clinton to do is to make the case to uncommitted superdelegates that her lead in the popular vote makes her the rightful choice to lead the party's ticket in the fall.
Clinton told supporters at the rally that their votes helped put her over the top and that that the new popular vote tally should leave "no doubt" in the minds of superdelegates as to who should become the nominee.
"Tonight you've come out strong and defied the skeptics more people across the country have voted for our campaign, more people have voted for us than for any candidate in the history of any presidential candidates. We are winning the popular vote, now there can be no doubt, the people have spoken and you have chosen your candidate," Clinton said.
Clinton is giving no indication that she plans on dropping out of the race or has any intentions of slowing down her campaign as she is scheduled to campaign in South Dakota all day tomorrow.
Over the next few days, Clinton campaign national chairman Terry McAulliffe says Clinton will be contacting uncommitted superdelegates in hopes of gaining their support, he says that will be her main focus.