WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton scored a landslide Tuesday in West Virginia, a victory that did little to stop Barack Obama's march to the Democratic nomination but highlighted concerns about his ability to attract white, working-class swing voters.
It was one of the few high points left for the beleagured New York senator as she plays out the remaining five contests of a topsy-turvey race many once thought was hers for the taking.
‘I am more determined than ever,’ says Clinton, with West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin and his wife, Gayle, in Fairmonth, W.Va.
The focus has been on why she's staying and how she'll make her exit since her chances of catching up to Obama's lead in delegates are so remote after more than four months of voting in 46 states.
But her success among white, blue-collar workers in West Virginia did give Clinton another chance to showcase Obama's weakness among those voters that's been apparent in other key states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard," she told supporters in Charleston, W.Va. "This race isn't over yet. Neither of us has the total delegates it takes to win."
No Democrat has won the White House without taking West Virginia since 1916, she pointed out.
Clinton, who was winning by two to one, contended her victory is one more piece of evidence of her superior ability to beat Republican John McCain in the race for the White House this November.
That's the argument she'll be taking again today to superdelegates -- the party officials and legislators who will decide the nominee.
"The White House is won in the swing states and I am winning the swing states," said Clinton, who was conciliatory toward Obama and said she'd "work her heart out for the Democratic nominee to make sure we have a Democratic president."
Exit polls pointed to other potential pitfalls for Obama, including the enduring impact of contentious racial rhetoric from his ex-pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Race, too, is still a factor in Obama's drive to become the first black U.S. president, with one in four Clinton voters saying it influenced their choice.
And barely a third of Clinton supporters say they'd vote for Obama over McCain, indicating a major divide provoked by the nomination fight that's yet to heal.
Despite the challenges, Obama retains strong leads in delegates, states won and the popular vote in the nomination fight.
"There's a lot of talk these days about how the Democratic party is divided," he said in Missouri. "But I'm not worried because I know that we'll be able to come together quickly behind a common purpose."
There are five contests left, including Kentucky next week where Clinton is favoured and Oregon, where Obama has an edge.
-- The Canadian Press
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