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Obama Prepares to Declare Victory
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ShareJune 03, 2008 1:20 PM
ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Barack Obama is still putting the finishing touches on his St. Paul speech -- and working on his jump shot -- in preparation for declaring victory in the tightly contested Democratic nomination.
Obama aides feel that there is a good chance that he will reach the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.
If he reaches that number tonight, "(Sen.) Obama will walk onstage tonight as the nominee," an aide to the Senator told ABC News.
His speech tonight, delivered at the same Minneapolis arena where the Republicans are holding their convention this Fall, will be a look ahead centered on "a new phase, a new beginning" of the campaign and make an appeal for Democratic party unity.
Obama's speech writer, Jon Favreau, wrote the text but, according to this campaign aide, Obama had a large part of the formulation of the tone and language.
As is his tradition, Obama, D-Ill., is playing basketball in Chicago on election day -- this time as votes are being cast in the final two primary states of South Dakota and Montana.
Obama, wearing workout clothes and carrying a fruit smoothie, walked out of the East Side club just before Noon Central time.
When asked about his mood, Obama said, "I'm doing fine but I thought this was off limits, basketball. I'm doing all right."
But as Sen. Obama prepares to turn his sights on Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican nominee, the Clinton camp continues their fight.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will not concede defeat tonight or end her attempt to make history by becoming the first female presidential nominee.
Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe rushed onto CNN this morning to deny an Associated Press report that Clinton would concede tonight after polls closed in the final two Democratic primaries in Montana and South Dakota.
McAuliffe called the report "100 percent incorrect."
"The race goes on," McAuliffe insisted.
Moments later the Clinton campaign issued a statement saying, "The AP story is incorrect. Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination this evening."
"She is in this race until we have a nominee," a senior Clinton official told ABC News, "We do not expect there to be one tonight."
According to an ABC News estimate, Obama is only 31.5 delegates away from clinching the 2,118 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination.
"He will declare victory tonight in a moment of history," ABC News' chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos told "Good Morning America."
Obama is expected to speak shortly after 10 p.m. ET while the votes are still being counted in Montana and South Dakota, ending a grueling campaign that has set records for voter turnout all across the country.
Clinton, D-N.Y., will spend primary day at her New York home in Chappaqua and plans to give a speech in New York Tuesday night -- the first time the candidate has not spent a primary night in a contested or about to be contested state.
ABC News' Eloise Harper and Kate Snow contributed to this report.
June 3, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (117)
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Larry, suck it!
Posted by: uho | Jun 3, 2008 1:56:21 PM
Bob Kerrey Paul Tsongas...
great Americans who stepped aside and helped Bill Clinton with the help of Ross Perot win the democratic party back for the dems in 92...
and there were almost as many angry supporters saying they would defect if Bill got the nom back then...
If either of these two fought on there is a great chance that Bill and the dems would not have won.
even thought they both had the "right" to fight on to the end for the nomination...they got out early as to be fiscally responsible to their supporters (even if their supporters screamed for them not to) that is the sign of a great american who puts the values, the issues and the people first.
Posted by: dl | Jun 3, 2008 1:57:38 PM
Obama has his excuse ready for getting trounced tonight. (Oh, I would of won, but my supporters stayed home because it doesn't matter).
Disgraceful. disenfranchising more voters.
Posted by: geevill | Jun 3, 2008 1:57:54 PM
also i cant wait to see this supposed tape, i seriously DOUBT there is one.. if there was one, hillary would have it and she would have leaked it to take the nomination
secondly michelle was giving a speech yesterday i read it it was good. I think she is going to be a great first lady
Posted by: bhrandon | Jun 3, 2008 2:00:14 PM
That was WELL before the convention that Bill WON the nomination. Hillary isn't lying again is she?
BILL CLINTON. like MCCAIN HAD THE REQUIRED DELEGATES. Obama doesn't. But I guess that s too hard for an Obama supporter to understand.
Posted by: geevill | Jun 3, 2008 2:00:35 PM
Geevil opponents to Bill Clinton they dropped out well before he had the numbers...
they put the issues before themselves.
Posted by: dl | Jun 3, 2008 2:02:16 PM
Neither Obama or his supporters have a clue about Clinton supporters. You are on your own now.
Posted by: geevill | Jun 3, 2008 2:02:48 PM
Obama to declare Victory tonight the Race is over.
Posted by: Lookup | Jun 3, 2008 2:04:03 PM
the whole tape thing would have been dropped already...this is all a last ditch effort to make something out of nothing because they know Hillary's favorabilities now are at the level of GW and that is who they want to run against still.
and Obama's are going back up.
favorables are the most direct correlation between a nominee from the primaries to the general.
Posted by: dl | Jun 3, 2008 2:04:42 PM
He should be prepared for defeat in Nov too.
Dukakis was 17% ahead at this time.
Dems are dumb.
Posted by: s.b. | Jun 3, 2008 2:04:49 PM
I am a Hillary supporter and a democrat and can never vote for Obama. Sorry, that just can't be done. People can call me names but it just can't be done. Sorry folks, it looks like McCain has my vote and he does support dignity and pride. This is more important than any abortion vote.
Posted by: voter | Jun 3, 2008 2:06:35 PM
Geevill,
Another prediction from you wrong AGAIN.
Looks like he's the NOMINEE!
Now, on to POTUS. Would you be so kind in providing another one of your dumb a$$ predictions, so we can assume the opposite?
Please say it! McCain in a landslide, right?
RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!
OBAMA POTUS
YES WE CAN
YES WE WILL
YES WE DID
Posted by: Nat Turner | Jun 3, 2008 2:06:42 PM
s.b: Dukakis and that silly helmet did him in for the nomination.
Posted by: Lookup | Jun 3, 2008 2:07:42 PM
s.b.
dukakis didn't have an economy that was sinking...america hadn't lost this much ground with it's allies because of his opponents foreign policy, and Dukakis didn't have a war that was crushing our military men and woman not to mention it's strength.
and dukakis didn't bring out and motivate americans like Obama has done...he got the message right.
Posted by: dl | Jun 3, 2008 2:08:52 PM
Thank goodness there is McCain instead of Guiliani or a Huckabee. All is not lost, we still have McCain!
Posted by: voter | Jun 3, 2008 2:09:49 PM
John McCain best days are behind!
Posted by: Lookup | Jun 3, 2008 2:12:24 PM
April 8,1992 delegate count
Clinton-1,285
Tsongas-509
Brown-203
Obama can scrub webpages but he cannot scrub history.
Posted by: geevill | Jun 3, 2008 2:12:41 PM
John McCain's best days are behind him!
Posted by: Lookup | Jun 3, 2008 2:14:17 PM
@dl - Let me tell you something. I served 4 years in the military and my husband served 28 years. I am entitled, I am sure, to exercise my right to vote for whom I want to. So don't try to relegate my choice and intelligence to that of a 12 year old. I am not voting for Obama - and excuse me for not being politically correct here - because IMO he is DUMB as a rock, also racist to the bone. I can say that, see, because I am black. lol. If you can't see that, then I have questions about your intelligence. Just so you know, I don't let anger control my thought processes to the extent that I would do something rash... Most people don't. You need to acknowledge that you are dealing with thinking people on this blog and that not all of us are going to agree.
TAKE IT TO THE CONVENTION, HILLARY!
Rise, Hillary, Rise!'08
A Proud, Black, Hillary Supporter
(It ain't over until the lady in the pantsuit says so!)
Posted by: LeeLee07 | Jun 3, 2008 2:16:48 PM
Here is the best quote, straight from Bill himself:
“Now one of Clinton’s Laws of Politics is this,” Mr. Clinton says. “If one candidate’s trying to scare you and the other one’s trying to get you to think; if one candidate’s appealing to your fears and the other one’s appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope. That’s the best.”
Posted by: Nat Turner | Jun 3, 2008 2:17:21 PM
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