By Ellen Wulfhorst
MAYSVILLE, Kentucky (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton had awarning on Monday for rival Barack Obama, who is on the vergeof claiming the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination: Not sofast.
"This is nowhere near over," Clinton said at a rally inMaysville, Kentucky, pressing ahead with her long shot bid forthe White House even as Obama focuses on November's generalelection match-up with Republican John McCain.
Despite Obama's almost unassailable lead in delegates whowill select the nominee at the August Democratic convention,Clinton repeatedly has shrugged off calls to quit the racebefore the last of the voting concludes on June 3.
She warned the Illinois senator against premature victorycelebrations one day before Kentucky and Oregon cast ballots inthe lengthy Democratic White House fight.
"None of us is going to have the number of delegates we'regoing to need to get to the nomination, although I understandmy opponent and his supporters are going to claim that,"Clinton, a New York senator, said in Maysville.
Obama expects to claim a majority of pledged delegates wonin state-by-state races after Tuesday's returns, but he willstill be about 75 short of the 2,026 needed to clinch thenomination without further help from superdelegates -- partyofficials who are free to back any candidate.
Obama contends the remaining undecided superdelegates, whohave been trending his way heavily in recent weeks, should backhim since he won the most delegates in state voting.
Clinton says superdelegates should consider her argumentthat she will make a stronger general election foe for McCain,and her victories in big states like Pennsylvania and Ohio giveher a better base than Obama has managed.
Obama will mark Tuesday's voting with a rally in Iowa, ageneral election battleground where he made his breakthroughwith a big win in the first Democratic contest on January 3. Hetold reporters in Oregon on Sunday, however, that he did notplan to declare victory on Tuesday.
NO VICTORY DECLARATION
"It doesn't mean we declare victory because I won't be thenominee until we have enough -- combination of pledgeddelegates and super delegates to hit the mark," Obama said.
Obama continued to focus on the general election fight withMcCain, stepping up attacks on the influence of lobbyists inthe Arizona senator's campaign.
"John McCain's campaign is being run by Washingtonlobbyists and paid for with their money," Obama said inBillings, Montana, a state with a June 3 primary.
McCain's national finance co-chairman, former Texas Rep.Thomas Loeffler, quit on Sunday because of his lobbying ties,becoming the fifth person to leave his campaign because oflinks to lobbying. McCain's campaign manager last week askedstaff to either resign or cut their ties with lobbying groups.
McCain strategist Charles Black, criticized by Democratsfor his own lobbying activities, told reporters he had retiredfrom his lobbying firm and he believed the McCain campaign hadresolved the issue.
"I think everyone's complying right now," Black said.
In the Democratic race, Clinton said she had no intentionof giving up the fight before the last two states, South Dakotaand Montana, cast their votes.
"I'm going to make my case and I'm going to make it untilwe have a nominee, but we're not going to have one today andwe're not going to have one tomorrow and we're not going tohave one the next day," said Clinton, a former first lady.
"If Kentucky turns out tomorrow I will be closer to thatnomination because of you," she said.
Obama is favoured to win in Oregon, where his lead in newpolls ranges from 4 percentage points to double digits, andClinton is a big favourite in Kentucky. The two states have acombined 103 delegates at stake on Tuesday.
All voting ends in Kentucky at 7 p.m. EDT (Midnight Britishtime) and Oregon at 8 p.m. PDT/11 p.m. EDT (4 a.m. Britishtime). Results are expected shortly after.
A delegate count by MSNBC gave Obama 1,901 delegates toClinton's 1,724. He picked up five more superdelegates onMonday, including Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
Obama has been cautious about pushing Clinton too hard toleave the race. Both candidates have avoided criticizing eachother since Obama's win in North Carolina two weeks ago movedhim closer to claiming the nomination.
The Clinton campaign sent a memo to reporters saying anyObama effort to declare himself the nominee on Tuesday would be"a slap in the face" to Clinton supporters.
"Premature victory laps and false declarations of victoryare unwarranted. Declaring mission accomplished does not makeit so," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.
(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland;writing by John Whitesides; Editing by David Wiessler)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
