Former rival John Edwards endorses Obama

Former presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) endorsed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) at a rally in Michigan, after saying for months he would not choose a candidate. (Video courtesy Youtube.com.)

By Mike Manzoni
Staff Writer

In the months after withdrawing his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, John Edwards said he was keeping his pick for his party's presidential candidate to himself, but at a campaign rally Wednesday in Grand Rapids, MI, that all changed when Edwards stepped on stage with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and offered his endorsement.

"The reason I'm here tonight is because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I," Edwards told the crowd. "There is one man who knows in his heart there is time to create one America, not two ... and that man is Barack Obama."

He also congratulated Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) campaign for the nomination.

"What she has shown ... is strength and character, and what drives her is something that every single one of us can and should appreciate," Edwards said.

"She is a woman who, in my judgment, is made of steel, and she's a leader in this country not because of her husband but because of what she has done."

Obama spoke at the event, thanking Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth.

"I am so grateful ... for John Edwards to come to Michigan tonight," he sad. "I'm grateful for his support ... but more importantly, I want to thank John for everything that he has already done to make us one America," Obama said.

The late endorsement immediately caused the chairman of the Republican National Committee to question the effectiveness of the endorsement.

Republican National Committee Chairman Robert Duncan released a statement asking, "Why didn't Edwards endorse sooner?"

After coming in third place in most early contests, Edwards withdrew from the race on Jan. 30.

Clinton wins big in W.Va., vows to 'carry on'

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) declares victory in West Virginia. (Video provided by MSNBC.com.)

By Samuel Rubenfeld
Senior News Editor

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) won the West Virginia party by a wide margin, holding a more than two-to-one lead with 54 percent of precincts reporting, by winning white and lower-income voters who have eluded Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) at times during the primary season.

Ninety-five percent of voters were white, according to exit polls. Twenty-two percent of voters said race was an important factor, and 81 percent of those voters came to the polls for Clinton.

Clinton's win nets her 10 delegates, according to NBC News, but the win does not greatly blunt Obama's momentum for the Democratic nomination, because he still holds a significant lead in states won, pledged delegates, popular vote and superdelegates.

The victory could, however, raise questions about Obama's ability to win the support of white, working-class voters, a potential weak spot the Clinton campaign has stressed recently.

“I’m more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has the chance to make their voices heard,” Clinton said at a victory rally in Charleston, W.Va.

She said she will carry on her campaign through June 3, when South Dakota holds the final primary in the Democratic nominating contests.

Obama conceded late Tuesday afternoon at a campaign event in Missouri, where he said he still had work to do to earn the nomination.

"We haven’t resolved this nomination," he said. "It would be presumptuous of me to pretend like I’ve already won and start talking about who my vice president’s going to be."

Clinton wins W.Va. by wide margin

By Samuel Rubenfeld
Senior News Editor

The Associated Press calls Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) the winner by a two-to-one margin based on exits as the polls close in West Virginia. Details as the votes come in.

Obama wins big in N.C.; Clinton squeaks by in Ind.

By Samuel Rubenfeld

News Editor

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won handily in the North Carolina primary on Tuesday, defeating Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) by 14 points and negating Clinton's win in Pennsylvania on April 22.

The trajectory of the campaign changed with Obama's huge win: despite Clinton's squeaker victory in Indiana, where she won by less than 22,000 votes on Tuesday, pundits on all three cable networks called the race "over."

"I have not found an objective Democrat who thinks the race isn't over," said Tim Russert, the NBC News Washington bureau chief on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show.

More details to come in The Chronicle print edition, out tomorrow. (Link to come when posted.)

Obama wins Guam caucuses by seven votes

By Mike Manzoni
Staff Writer

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won the Guam caucuses, declaring victory with the thinnest margin of any primary this election year.

Obama led Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) by just seven votes when the results were announced tonight.

Of the 175,000 residents of the island in the Western Pacific, about 4,500 voted.

Obama received 2,264 votes, whereas Clinton received 2,257 votes, with all 21 precincts reporting.

Guam has traditionally been ignored by candidates, but as both Clinton and Obama continue to duel for the nomination, they did not take any chances.

Neither of the Democratic candidates made any campaign appearances in the territory, but did run advertisements and appeared for interviews via satellite on local television stations.

Clinton and Obama also pitched their health care plans for Guam in long-distance interviews.

Clinton has called for Guamanians to be able to vote in the presidential election.

The New York senator has said she will appoint a senior adviser to the defense secretary to help Guamanians prepare for the arrival of 8,000 U.S. Marines who are expected to be transferred to the island from Okinawa in 2014.

Obama, in interviews prior to the vote, said his Hawaiian heritage makes him "especially sensitive," to the concerns and problems facing islanders.

Citizens of the U.S. territory are not able to vote in the general election in November, but have four pledged delegates and five superdelegates which will be sent to the National Convention in Denver in August.

Clinton wins Pennsylvania, vows to fight on

Hillary Clinton delivers her victory speech in Philadelphia after winning the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday night, after six weeks of campaigning in the state. (Video provided by MSNBC.com)

By Mike Manzoni
Staff Writer

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) won the Pennsylvania primary Tuesday night, after a six-week stretch between contests, claiming a state she had designated earlier in the day as one she had to win.

"It's a long road to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and it runs right through the heart of Pennsylvania," she told a crowd of supporters at a victory speech in Philadelphia.

While her campaign says her victory questions Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) electability in the general election, she offered some comparison between the two competing Democratic camps.

Clinton said she and Obama are "on this journey together," while she was joined on stage with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and her husband, President Bill Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea.

Exit polls indicate she received support of voters age 65 and older and that Obama garnered the votes of the black electorate with nearly 92 percent of the African-American vote.

A majority of white males, 55 percent according to a CNN exit poll, voted for Clinton.

Knowing the demographics were not in his favor, Obama moved his campaign to Indiana early today, a state that holds its primary May 6.

"A win is 50 plus one. So, if Sen. Clinton gets over 50 percent, she's won the state and, you know, I don't try to pretend that I enjoy getting 45 percent and that's a moral victory -- we've lost the state," Obama said before leaving Pennsylvania for Indiana.

Obama still leads the delegate count with 1,720 to Clinton's 1,588, according to Associated Press estimates.

Her victory in the Keystone State will allow her to receive most of the state's 158 delegates.

According to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes, voter turnout was a record, with between 50 and 60 percent turnouts in some counties.

About four million people are registered to vote in Pennsylvania.

Obama wins Mississippi

By Mike Manzoni
Staff Writer

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has won the Mississippi primary, beating Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in a primary which exit polls indicate was the most racially divided contest yet.
Exit polls show blacks favoring Obama – overwhelmingly, at more than 90 percent – while nearly three quarters of white voters went for Clinton.

The Associated Press reported that only two other state contests this year were as racially divisive, Alabama and Arkansas, the latter being a former home state for Clinton, when President Bill Clinton served in the Governor's office.

Obama's win in what is considered one of the most conservative southern states during the general election comes as the announcement of Obama's victory in the caucus portion of the Texas "prima-caucus," which was held March 4.

Clinton won the state's primary, but because of the caucus, Obama will actually score more delegates than her.

Low to moderate voter turnout was reported by the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, with approximately 125,000 to 150,000 going to the polls.

The state has 33 delegates going to the convention in August.