2008 democratic presidential primary candidates

One concession she may be seeking is a joint ticket with Obama, with her as vice-presidential candidate, a position she may feel entitled to after securing so many votes. In a sign of hard bargaining with Obama's team over the next few days, she said she had won the votes of 18m Americans and she wanted their views respected. 'In the coming days, I'll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way,' she said. Instead, Clinton said she wanted time to reflect before making her next move. The crowd was responsive to the conciliatory message, loudly cheering Clinton three or four times.Ĭlinton, surrounded by Bill and daughter Chelsea, at a party in New York for campaign workers from round the country, also held out the prospect of reconciliation: 'It has been an honour to contest these primaries with him, just as it is an honor to call him my friend.'Īlthough several Obama supporters in St Paul said they expected Clinton to behave graciously, she refused to concede or suspend her campaign. 'Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honour to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton,' he said.

Because of you, tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. To deafening applause, he told a 20,000-strong victory rally in St Paul, Minnesota: 'Tonight, we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. But South Dakota pushed him over the line in terms of delegates - even though he lost the state to Clinton. He was four short as polls closed in the South Dakota and Montana primaries, the last two contests. A number of Clinton supporters also defected to Obama. Among those announcing their endorsements was the former president Jimmy Carter. A steady shift of support towards Obama throughout the day turned into a flood. Obama will now face the Republican John McCain for the prize of the presidency in the November 4 general election.Īfter a 54-contest, five-month-long fight, Obama started the day 45 delegates short of the 2,118 he needed to cross the finishing line. It also confirms Obama's reputation as a political giant-slayer, who after less than four years in the US Senate brought down the couple credited with creating the Democrats' most powerful political machine. Obama's victory effectively brought to an end Clinton's bid to become the first US female president. Barack Obama has made history by beating Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and becoming the first African-American with a viable chance of winning the White House.

2008 democratic presidential primary candidates