SAN ANTONIO - A cautious Barack Obama awaited the results of Tuesday’s closely watched primaries in Ohio and Texas with an acknowledgment that his battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination might not be over quickly.
In an afternoon news conference with reporters on his plane, Obama appeared to be steeling himself for the possibility of a longer fight while expressing confidence that the delegate math favored him in the long run.The Illinois sena
tor also expressed frustration with what he said were agressive attacks by rival Hillary Clinton.
“They have run a pretty negative campaign over the last couple of weeks,” Obama said, referring to ads criticizing him as inexperienced on foreign policy and inconsistent on trade.
“My theory is that withstanding some of the attacks that have been coming our way over the last couple weeks will just make us stronger. It’s good preparation. It’s like training camp if I end up being the nominee,” Obama said.
But asked if the ads might affect his chances in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island, Obama allowed that they can create “a sense of turbulence” in the minds of some voters.
As he racked up wins in 11 straight contests over the last month, the media had begun referring to Obama as the frontrunner in the Democratic race and many pundits predicted that without clear victories in Ohio and Texas, Clinton might soon be forced to drop out.
The Clinton campaign, however, has suggested that Tuesday’s contests give the New York senator a chance again to be the “Comeback Kid,” as she was deemed after her New Hampshire victory in January.
In Ohio at least, late polls gave Clinton a narrow lead. The Texas race was a virtual dead heat.
Obama was guarded in his predictions.
“It’s very, very tight,” he said. “We started 20 points behind in Texas and Ohio. We closed the gap. Whether it’s going to be enough to actually win is going to depend on what the turnout looks like in both states.”
Asked if the fight could go on through next month’s primary in Pennsylvania, Obama did not rule that out.
“Look, she is a tenacious and determined candidate and so we’re just going to make sure we work as hard as we can as long as it takes,” he said.
Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Sen. Barack Obama talks to his reporters on his plane near San Antonio)
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4 comments so far
It looks as though the media is pro Clinton, its
- Posted by Edward J. Abdoso very obvious, The Media is owned by big Corporations, and shouldn’t play a major part in
the busniess of the people. Our country lost a great value through the lack of ethics of the Bush
Administration, and to have this kind of unfair
promotion of a Candidate goes against the ethic of
our constitution. Please note, we allowed our Country to go down hill far enough.
YES SIR,
America is so much down in every aspect.
Our only, maybe last chance is that unique
Barack Hussein OBAMA.
GOD BLESS HIM!
- Posted by rich stanThe media pro Hillary? I don’t think so!
- Posted by Anyen NadaMr Obama has peaked.Come November it will be Hillary as the nominee.
Hillary needed to win both Texas and Ohio by 15% to close the gap on the delegate count enough to have a ‘chance’ to get the nomination. Since that wasnt done…she is. She was leading both Texas and Ohio by 20% points less than 2 weeks ago. For the last seven years she has been a George Bush enabler.
Where was she on the war, on the wiretapping on the impeachment? Not to be found…you cant answer the phone if you dont hear it ringing! The phone was ringing and it was the American people calling to find out if there was someone who would defend their rights…Hillary let the call go to voice mail.
- Posted by Robert