CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- With West Virginia's primary less than a week away, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton is returning to the state twice in as many days.
A day after losing the North Carolina primary to fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and barely winning in Indiana, Clinton's campaign announced that the Democratic presidential candidate now plans to attend a noon "Solutions for the American Economy'' event at Shepherd University Wednesday. Her daughter Chelsea was also scheduled to be there.
The senator plans to return to the Mountain State Thursday for a 10:15 rally on the lawn of the state Capitol in Charleston.
Clinton's husband Bill also will return to the state Thursday to campaign for her. Bill Clinton, who campaigned in West Virginia last week, will visit Philippi, Sutton, Fayetteville, Lewisburg, and Mercer County. Details of his visit were not available Wednesday.
Hillary Clinton and Obama are vying for West Virginia's 28 delegates in their race for the Democratic nomination. At least 18 of the state's delegates will be decided by the May 13 vote. The other 10 are so-called superdelegates, three of whom have already committed to Clinton, with two backing Obama.
Bill Clinton visits Mercer
By CHARLES OWENSBluefield Daily Telegraph
ATHENS — It’s not everyday that a former president comes to town.
For a crowd of several hundred citizens who jammed the Carter Center Gym at Concord University Thursday, the event was also somewhat of a historic occasion.
“I think it’s fantastic and I’m hoping Mrs. Clinton will be our next president,” Joyce Taylor of Princeton said. “I think we need a change. I do.”
Eloise Ratliff of Princeton carried a personal letter she had received from Hillary Clinton with her to Thursday’s rally.
“I have a personal letter from her,” Ratliff said. “I sent a contribution and she replied back to me personally. I am so proud of this letter. I carry it with me. If she wins the presidency I’ll have history here.”
Ratliff said she wanted an opportunity to hug President Clinton.
Clinton’s visit to Mercer County was the first by a president since George H.W. Bush visited the Brushfork Armory in 2002 when his son George W. Bush was campaigning for the nation’s top office.
Shirley Barker of Princeton said her sister met President Kennedy. She was hoping to meet President Clinton Thursday.
“Two of my sisters and my aunt are here together,” Barker said. “We are very excited. I heard he (President Clinton) was running late in one of the other places. But it’s still worth the wait.”
Mattie Cooper of Pipestem said she is hopeful that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination.
“I’m hoping, but it does not look too good,” Cooper said. “But I am really excited about this. I think it is great he is coming.”
Pam Trail, also of Pipestem, said Hillary Clinton will make a great president.
“I think she has the ideal experience,” Trail said. “I think she can get it done. She’s definitely got the best idea for health care. I just think it is time we put a woman in there and definitely a Clinton.”
Bobby England of Princeton also was among the hundreds waiting in line Thursday to see President Clinton.
“She would be a good president,” England said. “She would be as good as him. I think she has still got a chance.”
England said he thinks Hillary Clinton will win West Virginia Tuesday.
With Hillary Rodham Clinton locked in a hard-fought race with Democrat Barack Obama, Tuesday’s primary contest is expected to be the first time in more than four decades that West Virginia voters have played a significant role in selecting a presidential candidate.
John Nelson/Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bill Clinton stumps for wife across region
By Matthew HillRegister-Herald Reporter
FAYETTEVILLE — America’s 42nd president campaigned in the Fayette County seat Thursday on behalf of the woman he hopes to see become the nation’s 44th chief executive — his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
As Bill Clinton repeatedly put it to the cheering throngs of supporters who packed the Fayetteville High School gymnasium, Hillary is fighting on in the Democratic nomination contest “because of people like you and places like this.”
He noted with humorous irony that he and Hillary were married in Fayetteville, Ark. “Boy, am I glad to be here,” he exclaimed, adding he felt “welcome” following Fayetteville Mayor Jim Akers’ presentation of the former president with a key to the city prior to the speech.
Clinton wasted no time launching into the reasons why West Virginia voters should support his wife in next Tuesday’s Democratic primary. He noted he would support her even if the two had never married.
“Don’t believe all the media hype that your vote doesn’t matter,” he advised, criticizing some media outlets for the death knell they have declared over her campaign in recent days.
“They know you can (win), and they’re afraid you will,” he thundered, referring to the political strategy of an opponent who attempts to persuade you that you have already lost before the contest is over.
Clinton cited examples of state contests won by Hillary earlier this year where she was heavily outspent in television advertising by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama — by a ratio of 2 to 1 in Ohio, by $4 million in Texas and by $8 million in Pennsylvania.
She won all of those contests, Clinton pointed out.
“Don’t get discouraged. Hillary is still in this race despite being heavily outspent and despite one-sided media coverage,” he asserted.
The former president even went so far as to say his wife is more qualified to be president now — in the light of both her experience and the challenges America currently faces — than he was when he first ran for the office in 1992.
Clinton spoke of the need for the country to return to a condition of “shared prosperity,” noting a good economy only works when “everyone has a fair chance” at it.
He also criticized the policies of the Bush administration, especially in the areas of nuclear weapons, torture and the environment. For seven years, Clinton claimed, America has appeared to hold itself to one standard and the rest of the world to another.
“We have to restore our standing in the world,” he said.
“She is the best qualified to turn the economy around” with a plan to “rebuild the middle class,” Clinton stated, adding that Hillary has a strategy for creating 8 million new jobs that “can’t be outsourced.”
- - -
Fayetteville was the third of five stops made by Clinton Thursday during a Solutions for America tour.
While Sen. Clinton made stops in Shepherdstown Wednesday and Charleston Thursday, her husband stumped for her in Philippi, Sutton, Fayetteville, Fairlea and Bluefield. It was the former president’s second visit to the Mountain State in two months.
Clinton and Obama are vying for West Virginia’s 28 delegates in their race for the Democratic nomination. At least 18 of the state’s delegates will be decided by Tuesday’s vote. The other 10 are so-called superdelegates, three of whom have already committed to Clinton, with two backing Obama.
Although she holds a commanding lead in the polls over Obama in West Virginia, Clinton is leaving nothing to chance by blanketing the state.
Obama is planning a return trip to West Virginia, a spokesman for his campaign said earlier this week.
Based on the latest elections results, The Associated Press reports Obama has 1,840 of the 2,025 convention delegates needed to clinch the nomination, while Clinton’s delegates number 1,688.
Photos
F. Brian Ferguson/The Register-Herald
Former president tells Fairlea supporters, ‘Your vote matters’
By Christian GiggenbachRegister-Herald Reporter
FAIRLEA — About 200 people gathered at the West Virginia State Fairgrounds Thursday to hear former President Bill Clinton stump for his wife Hillary and list the reasons she should be the next Democratic nominee for president.
The latest polling data shows Hillary Clinton with a commanding 29-point lead over Sen. Barack Obama in West Virginia, despite some claims by pundits that she should concede the nomination and drop out of the race.
In Fairlea, there was a mixed reaction among the crowd about whether Hillary should fight on or drop out.
Eighty-three-year-old Blanch Cayles of Rainelle said she will be voting for Clinton regardless of the delegate count.
“I’m going to be voting for Hillary even if the race appears to be over,” Cayles said. “But regardless of who the nominee is, in November I will be voting for a Democrat.”
B.J. Gudmundsson said the delegate count is a moot point because “all states deserve” to make their choice for who should be nominated.
“There are many women here, including myself, that have waited their whole lives to elect a woman for president,” Gudmundsson said.
Clifford Curry of Ronceverte said he was “still undecided” but wanted to see the ex-president in person.
“Because Mr. Clinton is my hero, and when I was in the Navy, I thought he did a great job.”
Harold Sponaugle of Frankford believes Hillary can still be the Democratic nominee.
“I don’t believe that about her not being able to win, and I hope that Mr. Clinton will give us an explanation about it.”
During his speech, Clinton did not specifically mention the current political debate about whether his wife should drop out, but alluded somewhat to those growing concerns.
“We have got to get a big percentage of folks to vote,” Clinton said. “And don’t you let them discourage you and tell you that your vote won’t count. Your vote matters.”
In the Democratic nomination process, delegates are won by a percentage of total votes cast in their favor. Currently Obama leads Clinton 1,851 to 1,688 in the delegate count.
Brenda Elmore of Ronceverte said if every state has not been counted, then Hillary should stay in the race. Besides West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon are the only states left with primaries. About 130 delegates are at stake in those three contests.
“All of the Democrats will come together in November and support the nominee,” Elmore said. “I don’t think there is any hurt in her staying in.”
President Clinton hammered home all the reasons Hillary should be the nominee — her health care plan, Senate experience and better domestic policies — but some in the crowd believed the time will be coming soon for his wife to stop running.
“I’m voting for Obama because I don’t think she can win,” said Betty Burford, who brought along her son, Ves, and granddaughter, Carolina. “I don’t think she can win the nomination now.”
— E-mail: cgiggenbach@register-herald.com
Christian Giggenbach/The Register-Herald
No comments:
Post a Comment