Wisconsin Loss Highlights Problems For Clinton Campaign
NEW YORK CITY -- Hillary Clinton suffered her 9th and 10th straight losses yesterday, losing contests in Wisconsin and Hawaii to Barack Obama. But despite her losses, a source close to the campaign tells CBS News the campaign believes Clinton can win Ohio and Texas. "We are leading in both states…the demographics of both states are good for us," the source said.
But one reason why Clinton's loss in Wisconsin should be a cause for concern for the campaign is that Obama was able to tap into key groups of Clinton supporters, particularly white voters and working class voters who make less than $50,000 per year. And if key demographics are not turning out for Clinton, she may find herself with a similar problem in Texas and Ohio, even though the campaign feels confident Clinton can win there because of the large numbers of two groups that tend to support Clinton, primarily Hispanics in Texas and working class Democrats in Ohio.
"This race for delegates continues to be close, and we continue to accumulate delegates as the focus turns to Ohio and Texas. Both those states not only have demographics that favor Senator Clinton, but are states where we see tremendous momentum for her message," said campaign senior pokesman Mo Elleithee.
But if there is a lesson to be learned from Wisconsin it's that demographics may not always follow suit, especially as Obama's momentum grows after each win. Elleithee downplayed Obama's win in the Badger States saying, "Wisconsin is a neighboring state for him, and they've been predicting a big win there."
But the campaign source who spoke to CBS on background, believes that Clinton's "economic message is resonating in both states," and will help the Senator from New York keep her current lead in the two March 4th contests.
Today in New York, Clinton will deliver what the campaign calls a "major" speech delineating the choices voters have in this coming election. Later this afternoon, Clinton heads for Texas where she will campaign for a few days.