Stories related to: Democratic nomination

Hillary Clinton's 10-point win in Pennsylvania leaves the Democratic Party in the same quandary it was in before the primary, writes Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle, but with the pressure ratcheted up. While the race did not much improve Clinton's chances, it did expose Barack Obama's possible weaknesses as a general election candidate. More »

Despite Democratic dreams of a shared ticket, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton may not be able to stand each other long enough to share a campaign. It’s been the first question in several debates, and will be for either as the freshly crowned nominee, but when the Times privately queried the candidates’ aides, the response was laughter. More »

Rocker Bruce Springsteen endorsed Barack Obama today, calling the candidate “head and shoulders above the rest.” The Boss cited Obama’s leadership on the war, economic and racial justice, and the environment, the New York Times reports; he also criticized the “bitter” flap, saying Obama's opponents were exaggerating the remarks to “diminish” him.  More »

The majority of Democrats want Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to battle to the bitter end rather than concede, a Washington Post -ABC News poll has found. The poll also shows Obama has opened a national10-point lead over Clinton among Democrats, and most say he is now the more electable of the two as negative opinions of both Clintons increase. More »

The demotion of Mark Penn in Hillary Clinton's campaign hasn't ended the problem the errant consultant is causing her in Pennsylvania, Bloomberg reports. Unions supporting Barack Obama have pounced on the strategist's advocacy of a Colombian free-trade deal, calling him pro-business and anti-worker. "She has to sever completely with Mark Penn," said Teamsters president James Hoffa. "Her credibility is at stake." More »

John Kerry was mulling a pick for vice president at this time 4 years ago, but Democratic hopefuls today refuse to name a running mate. Still, Politico’s Ben Smith has an early roundup of who could be Clinton’s and Obama’s first choices in the No. 2 slot. More »

Barack Obama's popularity has slipped in the past month, especially among men and rich voters, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. His favorability rating dropped 7 percentage points to 62% during the fallout over inflammatory remarks from his pastor, but the dropoff appears to have leveled off, the Times reports. He and Clinton are in a virtual dead heat, with 46% of Democrats supporting Obama and 43% Clinton. More »

Since his crash-and-burn run for president four years ago, Howard Dean has served as a decidedly low-key Democratic Party chairman, slowly building up state organizations while staying out of the limelight. Yet as the Clinton-Obama race wears on, many are wondering if Dean has the political acumen—or even the will—to rally a party in danger of fracturing. More »

Hillary Clinton had $8.7 million in debt at the end of February, including roughly $300,000 in unpaid health insurance invoices for her staff and $3,100 from her own high school alma mater, where she held a campaign event. Barack Obama notched only $625,058 in debt, reports the Chicago Tribune, leading the former first lady to issue a new plea yesterday for donations. More »

Former President Bill Clinton told California Democrats to "chill out" and let the long, bruising battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination continue. "We are going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say," Clinton told the state Democratic convention in San Jose yesterday. He said it would strengthen the Democratic Party to allow the rest of the states to vote. More »

Continued sniping with Hillary Clinton is hurting Barack Obama's chances of winning the White House, and "she ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama," Sen. Pat Leahy told Vermont Public Radio in an interview aired today. The harsh assessment coincided with a suggestion from another influential Vermonter, DNC chairman Howard Dean, that the superdelegates make their plans public by July 1. More »

Ten of Pennsylvania's superdelegates have yet to back a Democratic presidential candidate ahead of the April 22 primary. And while Clinton is expected to win the balloting, Bloomberg writes, some—especially several freshman congressmen up for reelection—are concerned that her "high negatives" might inspire more Republicans to come out to vote against her, hurting their own chances. More »

Hillary Clinton is suffering some of the worst poll numbers of her political career, according to an NBC/ Wall Street Journal poll. Clinton chalked up a personal approval rating of just 37%, the lowest since March 2001, two months after her election to the Senate. And of Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain, the poll ranked Hillary the least capable of uniting the nation. More »

In a troubling sign for Democratic odds of overcoming the primary bloodbath, a poll finds 28% of Hillary Clinton supporters say they would vote for John McCain over Barack Obama, and 19% of Barack boosters would go GOP over Clinton. It’s great news for the crossover-friendly Republican, the Chicago Tribune notes—and suggests Dem “divisions are running deep,” says the pollster. More »

Democrats should hold a superdelegate superprimary to settle the race before the summer, says Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. “You’re going to spend this whole summer—and lots of money and time and effort—trying to convince people that whoever isn’t eventually nominated, isn’t electable,” says Bredesen. To staunch the bloodletting sooner, he proposes that the 795 superdelegates meet in June to cast their ballots. More »

A new Gallup poll puts the two Democratic presidential candidates on even footing nationally, with Barack Obama holding a statistically negligible 1-point lead over Hillary Clinton. The poll, conducted after Obama's widely praised speech on race, suggests that the Illinois senator has erased the damage done by the Jeremiah Wright controversy, writes the Baltimore Sun . More »

Barack Obama netted seven more delegates in Iowa tonight, two months after the state held its caucuses, the AP reports. How so? Some of the delegates who originally backed John Edwards shifted to Obama during the state's county conventions, the second part of Iowa's election process. These are generally of no great consequence because the nominee is usually secured by now.  Not so this year. More »

“Saturday Night Live” staffers are getting serious over accusations of a pro-Clinton bias, with producer Lorne Michaels telling the Los Angeles Times any perception of bias is a "major concern" and assuring “there’s no agenda.” The show’s send-up of a media crush on Barack Obama was credited by some pundits with ending the love fest—but head writer Seth Meyers says watchers are giving “SNL” too much credit. Hillary impersonator Amy Poehler says the show targets "whoever is winning." More »

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have staked out very different strategies ahead of the April 22 Pennsylvania primary—with the pre-vote lull the longest the Democrats have faced since the run-up to Iowa. Camp Clinton won't shower Pennsylvania with the same lavish expenses it did in Hawkeye country, instead focusing on volunteer-based, roundtable-heavy efforts that won Ohio. More »

The continuing squabbling between the Democratic presidential candidates is taking a toll within the party and dividing groups considered crucial to a victory in November, polls show—even as more Republicans are lining up behind John McCain, the Wall Street Journal reports. "It is alarming and sickening," one Democratic observer said of emerging fault lines. More »