US presidential election

Clinton claims tide is turning after Pennsylvania win

Article published on the 2008-04-23 Latest update 2008-04-23 14:37 TU

Hillary Clinton thanks her supporters in Philadelphia
(Photo: Reuters)

A relieved Hillary Clinton claims that "the tide is turning" in the contest to become Democratic candidate in the US presidential election, after her win in Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary. Supporters of her rival, Barack Obama, point out that their candidate was expected to lose, although they had hoped that the margin would be narrower.

The win means that Clinton now has 1,586 delegates to the convention that will decide the party's candidate, compared to Obama's 1,713. 

With 99 per cent of precincts giving results, Clinton won 55 per cent to Obama's 45 per cent. With Obama pulling ahead, Clinton was under pressure to pull out of the race if she won by less than a ten per cent margin.

"It's a giant step forward that will transform the landscape of the presidential race," she told a euphoric victory party as the result became clear.

The Clinton camp says that the win has reversed their financial fortunes, claiming that 2.5 million dollars were pledged online in two and a half hours. The money is desperately needed, since the campaign is ten million dollars in the red.

This is Clinton's fourth win out of the last five primaries and she hopes that it will convince so-called "super-delegates" that only she can win decisive white, working-class voters and crucial swing states like Ohio and Texas.