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  • Hillary: 'Let’s keep fighting'

    From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
    During her victory speech after the Puerto Rico primary, which she is on her way to winning likely by a two-to-one margin, Ricky Martin music blaring at the introduction and afterward, Clinton showed no sign of pulling out of this race any time soon.

    "Let's keep fighting," Clinton said four times at the close of her speech to rousing applause.

    She refined what seemed to be her closing argument to superdelegates. She argued she has won the popular vote, reluctantly recognized Obama would likely win the pledged delegates (which she called a "slight lead") and that superdelegates would now decide the Democratic nominee. Mathematically, Clinton needs an overwhelming majority of those superdelegates -- about 85 percent and likely more -- after Tuesday's contest to overtake Obama.

    Clinton got in a familiar dig at Obama, saying voters need to "cut through the speeches and the sound bites for real solutions."

    She touted her strength "among the very swing voters" Democrats "need to win" in a general election. After ticking off the swing states she has won, Clinton mentioned for the first time since yesterday's rules committee judgment -- "and, yes, Michigan and Florida." That was greeted with huge applause. When Obama was mentioned earlier in her speech, he was booed.

    Clinton maintained -- almost as a dare -- "When voting concludes [Tuesday night], neither of us will have enough delegates" to win the nomination, she said. It is certainly possible Obama will have the required number of delegates Tuesday night, but may need up to 30 superdelegates to do so.

    What the approximately 200 undeclared superdelegates need to consider, Clinton argued: (1) Which candidate "best represents the will of the people who voted in this historic election"; (2) Which is "best able to lead us to victory in November"; (3) Which is "best able to lead the nation" as president in the face of challenges domestically and abroad.

    She reiterated she is "winning the popular vote," she's in this race to win and that she's most ready to lead on Day One.

    "Let's keep fighting," she concluded. "Let's keep fighting. Let's keep fighting. Let's keep fighting."

  • More P.R. allocations

    From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
    NBC NEWS has allocated 50 of the 55 delegates in Puerto Rico with a split of 35-15 for Clinton, so far. Five delegates are not yet allocated.

    The NBC NEWS Delegate Counts:
    PLEDGED: Obama 1727 to 1622
    SUPERDELEGATES: Obama 329 to 293
    EDWARDS PL. DELEGATES: Obama 16.5 to 0 (adding the 4.5 from Florida)
    OVERALL: Obama 2,072.5 to 1,915

    * Obama is 45.5 from the magic number of 2,118. (Clinton needs 203.)

    * There are 237.5 total delegates remaining -- 36 pledged delegates at stake between today's contest in Puerto Rico (5 remain) and Tuesday's primaries in South Dakota and Montana. Plus, 201.5 undeclared superdelegates remaining.

    * That means Obama needs 19% of all remaining delegates. Clinton needs 85%.

  • More P.R. delegate allocations

    From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
    NBC NEWS has also allocated 45 of 55 delegates in Puerto Rico. Clinton, so far, wins a 31-14 split with 10 delegates not allocated yet.

    The NBC NEWS Delegate Counts:
    PLEDGED: Obama 1726 to 1618
    SUPERDELEGATES: Obama 329 to 293
    EDWARDS PL. DELEGATES: Obama 16.5 to 0 (adding the 4.5 from Florida)
    OVERALL: Obama 2,071.5 to 1,911

    * Obama is 46.5 from the magic number of 2,118. (Clinton needs 207.)

    * There are 242.5 total delegates remaining -- 41 pledged delegates at stake between today's contest in Puerto Rico (10 remain) and Tuesday's primaries in South Dakota and Montana. Plus, 201.5 undeclared superdelegates remaining.

    * That means Obama needs 19% of all remaining delegates. Clinton needs 85%.

    With 29% of precincts reporting, Clinton leads in Puerto Rico 68%-32%.

  • Obama congratulates Clinton on PR win

    From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
    MITCHELL, SD -- At the beginning of a rally outside the corn palace, a local attraction here decorated with corn husks, Obama congratulated Clinton for her win in Puerto Rico today.

    "I just got off the phone with Sen. Clinton. She's gonna win Puerto Rico and I wanted to congratulate her for that," he said, before going on to praise the New York senator, saying the party would be unified for the general election and that she would be "a great asset when we go into November to make sure that we defeat the Republicans, that I can promise you."

  • Delegate update: P.R. allocations

    From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
    NBC NEWS has also allocated 37 of 55 delegates in Puerto Rico. Clinton, so far, wins a 26-11 split with 18 delegates not allocated yet.

    *** UPDATE *** Already factored into our counts below is that Obama also got another superdelegate -- an add-on from Maine (Gwethalyn Phillips of Bangor) after that state's convention this weekend. That's two so far today for the Illinois senator.

    The NBC NEWS Delegate Counts:
    PLEDGED: Obama 1723 to 1613
    SUPERDELEGATES: Obama 329 to 293
    EDWARDS PL. DELEGATES: Obama 16.5 to 0 (adding the 4.5 from Florida)
    OVERALL: Obama 2,068.5 to 1,906 

    * Obama is 49.5 from the magic number of 2,118. (Clinton needs 212.) 

    * There are 250.5 total delegates remaining -- 49 pledged delegates at stake between today's contest in Puerto Rico (18 remain) and Tuesday's primaries in South Dakota and Montana. Plus, 201.5 undeclared superdelegates remaining. 

    * That means Obama needs about 20% of all remaining delegates. Clinton needs 85%.

  • Low turnout projected in Puerto Rico

    From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
    SAN JUAN, PR -- Election officials expect to see a low vote count -- perhaps just 400,000 out of nearly 3 million registered voters -- as the polls are about to close here. Such a number would be far lower than turnout usually is for local elections.

    "Even though there is some enthusiasm, you cannot compare this with a general election in Puerto Rico," said Hector Luis Acevedo, the local representative of the Democratic Party and a former mayor of San Juan.

    Acevedo says the primary was organized in just under 100 days, after the DNC approved a change to primary from the original caucus. He says there have been fewer problems with voting than expected, and that 15,000 poll workers are on duty at the 1,786 precincts.

    Although he said the turnout will be higher than past presidential contests here, nothing would compare to the numbers seen in 1980, when the two local political parties stood behind separate candidates. The pro-statehood New Progressive Party endorsed Jimmy Carter, while the pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party backed Ted Kennedy.

    "This time, there are members of both parties involved in both campaigns. And that, in terms of message and organization, dilutes the grasp of the organization," Acevedo said.

    Along those lines, Hillary Clinton has often referred to "bringing red and blue together," meaning the two parties. Kenneth McClintock, the Puerto Rico Senate president and co-chairman of her campaign, said that the local parties would not be working to get out the vote because there was no political benefit.

    "The State Elections Commission has put very little advertising, contrary to what they usually do," he added. "We've had some factors against us."

    Also, the much smaller Partido Independista, which advocates full independence for the island, is holding a public protest of the vote in San Juan today. It has discouraged followers from participating in the contest, since the Commonwealth does not have a vote in the general election.

    McClintock, during an interview yesterday at a stop in Clinton's get-out-the-vote caravan, predicted Clinton would win by "a significant margin," and hoped the turnout would be significant enough to "push her into the majority of the popular vote (although counting the popular vote from a state that won't participate in the US general election might be a dubious exercise).

    "It's been picking up speed," he said.

    Acevedo and McClintock both said that even if local voters aren't as interested in the outcome, the attention that has been paid to Puerto Rico by the candidates, and the national press, will help the islands.

    "The Puerto Rican voter and the Puerto Rican citizens will enjoy more benefits, more attention, more friends in the Senate of the United States no matter who wins," Acevedo said. "We will have more attention to our problems and to the solutions then we will have had if we not have this primary in Puerto Rico."

  • Delegate update: NV super for Obama

    From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
    With the pick up of Nevada's Yvonne Gates this morning, Obama needs 61.5 delegates to reach the magic number of 2,118.

    Yesterday, Clinton picked up Louisiana DNC Member Claude "Buddy" Leach.

    * Also note, Maryland's Al Wynn's resignation takes effect this weekend. That means technically the number drops to 2,117 for at least a couple of weeks until Donna Edwards likely fills his seat. We contacted the DNC to see if it would reduce their number. They are not, so we will keep the number at 2,118, which is what it will eventually be at convention. Donna Edwards is expected to be an Obama supporter, but until that is official, we are leaving her off Obama's list, as have others.

    The NBC NEWS Delegate Counts:
    PLEDGED: Obama 1,712 to 1,587
    SUPERDELEGATES: Obama 328 to 293
    EDWARDS PL. DELEGATES: Obama 16.5 to 0 (adding the 4.5 from Florida)
    OVERALL: Obama 2,056.5 to 1,880

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