Clinton: 'I Never Give Up'
A confident Obama says Clinton should stay in the race as long as she wants.
March 31, 2008 — -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has a simple message for Democrats pushing her to bow out of the presidential race before the next 10 primary contests are over: forget about it.
"One thing about me, I never give up. I keep fighting every single day!" Clinton told voters in Indianapolis this weekend.
It's mathematically improbable she will overtake Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in pledged delegates, and her campaign has left a trail of unpaid vendors all over the country, with $8.7 million in unpaid debts.
Democratic officials are expressing concern as to the long-term damage of the protracted Democratic primary race, and several high-profile allies of Obama have called for her to withdraw.
Regardless, Clinton told The Washington Post, "I have no intention of stopping until we finish what we started, and until we see what happens in the next 10 contests, and until we resolve Florida and Michigan. And if we won't resolve it, we'll resolve it at the convention."
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Clinton supporter, said that declaring a presumptive winner at this point in the race discounts upcoming primaries -- including the important Pennsylvania primary on April 22.
"They're trying to say to the people of Pennsylvania ? you don't count," Rendell said today on "Good Morning America."
Even though Clinton lags behind Obama in national polls, Rendell added that there is plenty of time for Clinton to stage a comeback before the superdelegates cast their votes in September.
"If you wait that will change tomorrow," Rendell said. "Those tracking polls don't mean a bloody thing."
After Pennsylvania come contests in Guam, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota.
And Clinton supporters are still hoping that Florida and Michigan will allow voters to go back to the polls.
Many Democrats worry Clinton's only path to the nomination involves destroying Obama with negative campaigning.
While Obama's allies may be pushing for Clinton to exit, he does not want to give those who have yet to vote the impression he does not want to hear from them.
"This has been a great contest, great for America. It has engaged and involved people like never before," Obama told rally attendees at Penn State.
To reporters he said, "My attitude is that Sen. Clinton can run as long as she wants. Her name is on the ballot."
And while some worry the bitter fight for the nomination will destroy the Democratic Party, former President Clinton said otherwise to attendees of the California state party convention.
"We are strengthening the Democratic Party, chill out," Clinton said while stumping for his wife. "We are going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say."
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