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Posted: June 1, 2008 6:41 PM
Clinton Wins Big in Puerto Rico but Future Remains Unclear
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Sen. Hillary Clinton coasted to a large — and largely symbolic — victory Sunday in Puerto Rico’s presidential primary, capping off a weekend of political tumult in the nominating race that appeared to move Sen. Barack Obama closer to the Democratic nomination.

The former first lady was gaining more than 60 percent of the vote in early returns, and a pre-election poll suggested she could wind up with nearly two-thirds support, the Associated Press reported.

Clinton had been widely expected to win the island contest and stands to gain a majority of Puerto Rico’s 55 pledged delegates. An AP telephone poll of likely Puerto Rican voters taken ahead of the primary showed an electorate tilted toward Clinton - heavily Hispanic, as well as lower income and more than 50 percent female.

Even in defeat, Obama is expected to add at least 14 delegates to his numbers in the race’s delegate count — furthering his overall delegate lead and fueling the Democratic race’s never-ending math equation.

“In the final assessment I ask you to consider these questions. Which candidate best represents the will of the people who voted in this historic election?” Clinton told a cheering crowd in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday evening, citing the island’s “show of overwhelming support” in an appeal to some 200 uncommitted super delegates who could hold the balance of power in the fight for the nomination.

“Which candidate is best able to lead us to victory in November and which candidate is best able to lead our nation as our president in the face of unprecedented challenges at home and abroad?” the New York senator said.

With no electoral votes, Puerto Rico holds little sway over the general election, but many Puerto Ricans have relatives in the U.S. and the contest’s results reinforce Clinton’s appeal among Hispanic voters.

The Clinton victory adds to a weekend of political drama that included a contentious, daylong meeting of the Democratic Rules and Bylaws Committee in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. After a raucous debate, the panel decided to reinstate half of the delegate votes to Florida and Michigan after their renegade primaries — a decision that dealt a major blow to the Clinton camp.

Obama, confidently striking the tone of a nominee-to-be, appeared before supporters in Mitchell, S.D., after the results of the Puerto Rico vote were announced.

“Senator Clinton is an outstanding public servant, she has worked tirelessly during this campaign … and she is going to be a great asset when we go into November,” Obama said.”Whatever differences Senator Clinton and I may have, those differences pale in comparison to the other side” in a reference to presumptive GOP candidate Sen. John McCain.

Harold Ickes, a DNC rules committee member who is also an adviser to the Clinton campaign, said Clinton was reserving the right to contest the rules committee decision into the summer, the New York Times reported.

“[Clinton’s] aides opened up a new argument on Sunday, claiming that … she will have achieved a victory in the total popular vote and that should have more bearing on the decisions of the remaining undecided superdelegates than the fact that Mr. Obama is likely to emerge from the contest with a majority of the delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses,” the Times reported.

Clinton campaign chief Terry McAuliffe, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” declined to reveal what Clinton’s next moves will be. “We’ll see where we are when we finish up Tuesday,” he said. “Then super delegates will begin to move.”

With only two contests remaining, in Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday, both campaigns continued to push toward the primary finish line.

Clinton released a new campaign ad in Montana dubbed “17 Million” in an apparent reference to the number of popular votes she’s earned.

The number of popular votes cited in the ad will likely stir debate and its accuracy is already being batted about by analysts as the final numbers from the primaries are computed.

According to the Washington Post, Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, responded to the ad by noting that “both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have gotten more votes than any presidential campaign in primary history”, adding: “We are, however, ahead in the popular vote now and will be ahead when all of the votes are counted Tuesday.”