Suzanne Goldenberg and Ewen MacAskill in Washington
The Guardian, Tuesday February 12 2008
<snip>
Barack Obama is today set to open up a clear lead over Hillary Clinton in primary contests around Washington in what could decisively alter the dynamic of the Democratic race for the White House.
Obama was the favourite in all three contests today - Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland - which would extend to eight his string of victories over Clinton since Super Tuesday.
It could also for the first time give him a measurable lead in the complicated delegate tally, with 238 delegates at stake in today's three contests, as well as 11 more from Democrats Abroad, whose votes are due today.
A poll for the Associated Press yesterday indicated the turn in fortunes, with Obama on 46% against Clinton's 41%.
That momentum for Obama could escalate Clinton's problems in fundraising and organisation, undermining her hopes of coming back with big wins in the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4.
The Obama camp begins airing television ads in Spanish and English throughout Texas today, taking advantage of the $32m (£16m) it raised in January. The Clinton campaign raised only $13m last month, and advisers said yesterday they may not run ads in every media market.
Obama is also favoured in the February 19 contests in Wisconsin and Hawaii, where he was born. His campaign has also started airing television ads in Wisconsin, which describe how his mother worried about health insurance while she was dying of cancer several years ago.
In a sign of turmoil within the Clinton camp, the campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, stepped down at the weekend. Clinton played down her exit. "There is just too much to be done, so we had to add some more people," she told reporters.
Clinton started the morning in Washington DC trying to win over African-American women. She said she and Obama were both historic candidates.
"One of us will go on to make history as the Democratic nominee. The real question is who will change the country? Who will give us the leadership we so desperately need at this moment in our nation's history? I obviously believe the answer to that is me," she said.
However, Washington's mayor, Adrien Fenty, has endorsed Obama and was campaigning for the senator yesterday. Obama focused his efforts on a University of Maryland campus in the suburbs of the capital.
On the Republican side...
<snip>
Link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/12/barackobama.hillaryclintonThe whole world is watching, the whole world is watching...
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