By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
Republican John McCain, still facing conservative opposition, promised to unite his party as his coast-to-coast "Super Tuesday" wins in key states put him on the verge of clinching the nomination and capping a stunning political comeback.
Obama and Clinton battled to a draw on "Super Tuesday," with Obama winning 13 states and Clinton eight, including the big prizes of California and New York. Their delegate tally was almost even, propelling the fight toward the next round of seven Democratic contests in the next six days.
"I loaned it because I believe very strongly in this campaign," she told reporters at her headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, a state that votes next Tuesday.
As a show of solidarity some Clinton staff members have volunteered to go without pay, a Clinton spokesman said.
Both candidates tried to lower expectations for the next contests as they looked toward a protracted Democratic fight. The Clinton camp said Obama was the party establishment favourite, and Obama said the same of her.
"But you know we're turning out to be a scrappy little team," he said. "I think we are less of an underdog than we were two weeks ago."
The contests in Nebraska, Washington and Maine are caucuses, a format where he has performed well so far in the race. Caucuses are public gatherings of voters where his strong organization and grass-roots backing can pay off.
TEXAS IN MARCH
"As we go farther and farther into this, it is less and less likely that either side will be able to significantly amass a large delegate lead," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.
All three of the senators in the presidential race -- Obama, Clinton and McCain -- returned to Washington on Wednesday for a Senate vote on an economic stimulus package.
McCain, whose campaign was all but dead last summer, won nine states on Tuesday, including California and New York, giving him a huge haul of the convention delegates who select the party's presidential nominee.
An MSNBC count gave McCain 720 delegates, Romney 256 and Huckabee 194, pulling McCain closer to the 1,191 needed to clinch the nomination.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and wealthy venture capitalist who has spent at least $35 million of his own money on the race, has argued McCain lacks the conservative credentials to be the party nominee.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, Andy Sullivan, Donna Smith, Caren Bohan; Editing by Chris Wilson)
