US News
Clinton raised 22 million dollars in April
By DPA
May 21, 2008, 12:03 GMT

Washington - Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination raised 22 million dollars in April - the second best monthly figure ever, her officials said Tuesday.

The news was a bright spot amid the otherwise fading expectation that she can clinch the nomination against Senator Barack Obama, who on Tuesday night reached the milestone of claiming the majority of state delegates in the five-month state-for-state battle for delegates.

Clinton holds out hope for disputed delegates from Michigan and Florida, whose fate will be decided by the party on May 30 and 31, and for more support from the so-called super delegates - elected Democrats and party officials who do not face the popular internal party voting.

Clinton, 60, trounced Obama Tuesday in the largely working class state of Kentucky by a 35-point margin, one week after a 40-point win in neighbouring West Virginia.

Obama, 46, scored his own significant victory Tuesday in Oregon, beating Clinton by nearly 20 points in the more liberal Pacific North-West state.

With only three contests left, Obama now holds an insurmountable lead in the number of delegates directly elected in state-by-state votes since January. Puerto Rico holds its primary on June 1, followed by South Dakota and Montana on June 3.

Obama on Tuesday passed the symbolic mark of 1,627 out of 3,252 delegates at stake in the state contests. He remains less than 100 short of the 2,025 total delegates needed to seal his nomination for the November 4 presidential election.

Clinton has vowed to fight on.

'Senator Clinton's game-changing victories last month turned the tide for this campaign and resulted in an outpouring of grassroots support,' said Clinton's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe.