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Clinton wins big in Kentucky as Democratic race nears finish (Roundup)

May 21, 2008, 1:21 GMT

Washington - Hillary Clinton scored a convincing victory in the Kentucky Democratic presidential primary Tuesday over front- running rival Barack Obama in the closing weeks of the party's nomination battle. The former first lady thanked supporters for the 'overwhelming vote of confidence' as official results gave her a 65 per cent to 31 per cent lead, with 86 per cent of precincts reporting. 'Some have said that your votes didn't matter, that this campaign was over ... but that didn't stop you,' she told supporters at a rally in Louisville. 'You've never given up on me, because you know I'll never give up on you.' Primary results from the Pacific North-West state of Oregon, where Obama was favoured, were expected late Tuesday. Only three more contests remain, concluding on June 3. When Tuesday's votes are fully counted, Obama could reach a majority of delegates elected in the series of state-by-state contests for the nomination. It would be an important symbolic milestone for the Illinois senator, who was expected to speak later Tuesday from Iowa, the state that began the months-long nomination process and became his first victory on January 3. Obama will still fall short of the 2,025 delegates needed to seal his candidacy for the November 4 presidential election. Party elite known as super delegates make up about one-fifth of the total and could still potentially swing the nomination either way. Clinton, 60, had been clearly favoured to win in Kentucky, a rural state with a large population of the working-class voters who have recently favoured her over Obama. The result comes on the back of her victory by a 40-point margin last week in neighbouring West Virginia. The 46-year-old Obama was seen as leading in Oregon, a more affluent, left-leaning state that places a strong emphasis on environmental issues. Even if Clinton were to win both states, she was unlikely to make much of a dent in Obama's overall lead in the delegate count that decides the party nomination. Obama began the day a little more than 100 delegates from the finish line of 2,025. Clinton, who represents New York state in the US Senate, was about 200 delegates behind, with 103 delegates up for grabs in Tuesday's vote. While Obama has increasingly turned his attention to the general election battle with presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, Clinton has vowed to fight on at least until Montana and South Dakota become the last states to vote on June 3. 'We have to get this right. We have to select a nominee who is best positioned to win in November,' she said.

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