Hillary Clinton defiantly refused to concede the race for the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, even though Barack Obama surpassed the 2,118 delegates needed to declare himself the winner.
Clinton took to the stage in her home state of New York with husband Bill and daughter Chelsea to deliver a “celebration” speech in which she pointed to the numerous states and about 18 million voters who have backed her candidacy.
Clinton said she would be making “no decisions” about her candidacy Tuesday night and instead told supporters to let her know what they think by logging onto her Web site.
“I want to hear from you,” Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd at Baruch College in New York City. “Go to my Web site and share your thoughts and help in any way you can. In the coming days, I’ll be consulting with party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interest of our party guiding my way.”
Clinton’s attentions might turn to how she can cash out of the race, beginning with a push to get on the ticket with Obama as the vice presidential nominee.
New York lawmakers said Clinton told them in a Tuesday conference call she would be open to accepting the No. 2 spot on the ticket if it were offered. Although it was the first time Clinton acknowledged she is interested in the vice presidency, her surrogates and top aides have been pushing the ideafor more than a week.
“Of course she wants the vice presidency,” University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato said. “There is no doubt Obama will say he’s proud to have Senator Clinton on his short list, but I assume he is going to make a decision in August and the Clinton backers will have cooled their anger by then, and he will be able to make a choice that makes more sense.”
But standing between Obama and a formal Clinton exit from the race are the more than 1,900 delegates she has earned, not to mention the more than 17 million votes in caucuses and primaries. Obama needs those delegates and voters to defeat Republican nominee John McCain, and political analysts speculate that she’ll use them as leverage to try to get what she wants, whether it’s the vice presidency or some other formal type of recognition.
“A lot of what she should do depends on what Barack Obama does,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant who worked on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns. “He needs her more than she needs him. He needs her fundraising base, her staff, the women and the portion of the blue-collar, working-class voters she has been so successful with.”
Tad Devine, a consultant for Al Gore’s presidential bid, said Clinton cannot force her way onto the ticket, and Obama will not likely pick her.
“Everyone understands the vice president is the prerogative of the nominee,” Devine said.
