Clintons rallies, Slowing Obama’s momentum and McCain finish strong

The Clintons wins three of four primaries, reviving their campaign and setting the stage for a long duel for the Democratic nomination.
USA Domestic Politics – - Closing the book on the race for the Republican presidential nomination, with Arizona Sen. John McCain winning four states and the delegates needed to become his party’s standard-bearer in November.

For Democrats, a day they hope would bring similar clarity ended in further uncertainty.

The Clintons reversed an 12-contest losing streak with victories in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island, resurrecting their campaign and making a credible case for continuing a difficult fight against Sen. Barack Obama.

Though Senator McCain’s triumph had been expected since Super Tuesday a month ago, his sealing the nomination is a remarkable justification for a man whose campaign was taken for dead over the summer.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a determine candidate who won the lead-off state of Iowa and then stayed in the race despite a sizeable delegate deficit, said Tuesday night he is dropping out.

President Bush is expected to endorse McCain at the White House Wednesday, a symbolic step that analysts say will help unite the party and win over conservatives skeptical of the Senator.

“Now we begin the most important part of our campaign – to make a respectful, determined, and convincing case to the American people that our campaign and my election as president … are in the best interests of the country we love,” McCain told supporters Tuesday in Dallas.

For The Clintons, the seven weeks until the next major primary, in Pennsylvania on April 22, buy them ample time to raise money, sharpen attacks on their rival, and convince the elected officials and party leaders known as superdelegates that They are still a contender.

The Clintons narrowly won the primary in Texas, which saw a record turnout of more than 3.5 million voters. But Senator Obama was ahead early Wednesday in the state’s post-primary caucus, which divide up 67 of the state’s 193 pledged delegates.

The Clintons would have been hard-pressed to go on without winning at least one of the two big states, analysts said. Mrs. Clinton husband, former President Bill Clinton, had set an even higher bar, saying victories were crucial in both Texas and Ohio.

Delegate breakdown:
For the Democrats
The Clintons – 1,042 / with superdelegate 1,391
Mr. Obama – 1,202 / with superdelegate 1,477
Total needed: 2,025

For the Republicans
Mr. Huckabee – 248
Mr. McCain – 1,205*
Total needed: 1,191