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Empresas y finanzas

Clinton scores big West Virginia win


    By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton scored a big victoryover front-runner Barack Obama in West Virginia on Tuesday,slowing Obama's march to the Democratic presidential nominationbut making barely a dent in his sizable lead.

    Clinton's easy win in a state dominated by the whiteworking-class voters who have been her biggest supporters gaveher fresh ammunition to argue she is the Democrat with the bestchance to beat Republican John McCain in November'spresidential election.

    But Obama, an Illinois senator, retains a nearlyinsurmountable advantage in delegates who will select thenominee at the party convention in August, and West Virginiahad only 28 delegates at stake.

    Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, hopesher big victory in West Virginia will help fan doubts aboutObama's ability to win important swing states in November. Shehas vowed to keep fighting despite her dwindling prospects anda mounting campaign debt.

    "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't believe that I couldbe the best president for West Virginia and America and that Iwas the stronger candidate to take on John McCain in the fall,"she said at a rally in Logan, West Virginia on Monday.

    But a newly minted Obama supporter, former Colorado Gov.Roy Romer, said it is now impossible for Clinton to overcomeObama's lead.

    "The math is controlling. This race, I believe, is over,"Romer said on a conference call sponsored by the Obamacampaign.

    Obama, already looking to November, visited the generalelection battleground of Missouri on Tuesday, with stopsplanned in Michigan on Wednesday and in Florida next week.

    After West Virginia, five more contests remain in theDemocratic nominating battle with a combined 189 delegates atstake. Oregon and Kentucky vote on May 20, while Puerto Ricovotes on June 1 and Montana and South Dakota vote on June 3.

    A delegate count by MSNBC gives Obama 1,874 delegates toClinton's 1,702, leaving him 151 short of the 2,025 needed toclinch the nomination. But neither candidate can win withouthelp from superdelegates -- nearly 800 party officials who arefree to back any candidate.

    Obama has been gaining ground among superdelegates forweeks and picked up four more on Tuesday, including New OrleansMayor Ray Nagin. He now has a narrow lead over Clinton amongsuperdelegates with less than 250 still uncommitted.

    (Additional reporting by Deborah Charles, Rick Cowan andAndy Sullivan; Editing by David Wiessler and Chris Wilson)

    (To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)