Obama is Democratic Candidate

[Raliegh Jones Jr.]

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
June 3



WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation's first female president.



Obama is 40 delegates shy of clinching the nomination, but he is widely expected to make up the difference Tuesday with superdelegate support and votes in South Dakota and Montana. Once he reaches the magic number of 2,118, Clinton will acknowledge that he has secured the necessary delegates to be the nominee.

The former first lady will stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City.

She will pledge to continue to speak out on issues like health care. But for all intents and purposes, the two senior officials said, the campaign is over.

Most campaign staff will be let go and will be paid through June 15, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge her plans.

The advisers said Clinton has made a strategic decision to not formally end her campaign, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues he should focus on in the fall, such as health care.

Universal health care, Clinton's signature issue as first lady in the 1990s, was a point of dispute between Obama and the New York senator during their epic nomination fight.

Clinton was at home in Chappaqua, N.Y., with her husband, former President Clinton, and was placing calls to friends and supporters.

[Mrs. Denise Jones]

My reservation now for Obama - is that if he allowed pressure to persuade him to leave the church he worshipped at for 20 years, how would he react to the United Nations sitting around the table critizing USA and their position over the past 100 years or so - whether he would bow down, where US has been the strongest for so many years. Will he weaken like he did his church???? hummmmm

[Syvoskia Bray]

Rev. Dr. Patterson:

I concur - It's time for a CHANGE! All Glory given unto God!

[Raquel Soto]

Clinton is NOT conceeding. she has denied the reports. frankly, i hope there is an upset and that God puts her up and sets Obama down. i don't know why i don't trust him, but i don't.

frankly, if obama does win the nomination i hope mccain picks condeleesa as VP. that would be AWESOME. a beautiful intelligent minority women in office? wow! that would be a hard ticket to beat. i love her. she pulls no punches and doesn't take any garbage.

one can only hope....

[Rev. Staci Alexander]

The first shall be last and the last shall be first.