Most campaign watchers thought the Democratic Party would have picked a candidate by now. No such luck. Last week, New York senator Hillary Clinton won three out of four contests. She grabbed 58% of the votes in Rhode Island, 54% in Ohio and 51% in Texas. Illinois senator Barack Obama took Vermont with 59%. But Clinton's wins did not erase Obama's lead in the delegate count. It takes 2,025 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. By last Thursday, Obama held 1,520 delegates to Clinton's 1,424 (see "Counting Up the Delegates," below).
"We're going on, we're going strong, and we're going all the way," Clinton told jubilant supporters in Columbus, Ohio. Moments later, in San Antonio, Texas, Obama reminded his crowd that he was still the front-runner. "We have nearly the same delegate lead as we did this morning, and we are on our way to winning this nomination," he said.
The Ohio and Texas votes were costly. Clinton spent $5 million on TV advertising in Texas and $2.3 million in Ohio. Obama spent $9 million in Texas and $4.5 million in Ohio.
Superdelegates to the rescue?Even if Clinton wins every remaining contest, she will have a hard time matching Obama in delegates. That's why superdelegatesoDemocratic Party big shots and elected officialsoare so important. Bill Clinton, the former President and Hillary's husband, is a superdelegate. So is former Vice President Al Gore. About 800 of the 4,000 delegates to the Democratic Convention to be held in Denver, Colorado, this summer are superdelegates. If a clear winner has not emerged by the time of the convention, the superdelegates will hold the key to the nomination.
Before the convention, voters in at least 10 more states will have their say. Last weekend, Wyoming held caucuses. On March 11, Mississippi holds its primary. "All those states coming up are going to make a difference," says Obama.
Still, with 188 delegates, Pennsylvania is the next major prize. Its contest happens April 22. "People in Pennsylvania and other states want their voices to count," says Clinton. "And they should be heard."
In the next few months, Americans will be hearing plenty from both Clinton and Obama.