Clinton Celebrates West Virginia Win; Says "Race Isn't Over"

Charleston, WV (AHN) - Celebrating a landslide victory in West Virginia Tuesday night, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) made her clearest argument yet for staying in the presidential race.

"This race isn't over yet," Clinton told cheering supporters in Charleston. "Neither of us has the total delegates it takes to win... I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard."

Her campaign sent a fundraising email to supporters at the same time adding, "After tonight's tremendous victory here in West Virginia, it's clear that the pundits declaring this race over have it all wrong. The voters in West Virginia spoke loud and clear - they want this contest to go on."

Clinton was projected to win the Mountain State's primary immediately after polls closed at 7:30 pm ET. She led Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) with 35 percent of precincts reporting, 64% to 29%. The New York senator may set a record this primary season if she wins more than 70% of the vote in West Virginia by beating her best showing in Arkansas on Super Tuesday, CNN reports.

Clinton won West Virginia's white voters, 68% to 28%, and women, 74% to 24%, according to NBC exit polls. Working-class whites also chose the former first lady over Obama, 72% to 24%, the same exit polls said.

Perhaps more significant for the Obama campaign is that only 32% of voters who said in ABC exit polls on Tuesday that race factored into their decision, would support the Illinois senator against Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in November. CNN had similar results; it said just 36% of Clinton supporters would vote for Obama in a contest with McCain, and 35% would vote for the Republican nominee.

Obama, who will not be delivering an election night speech, spent the day in Missouri beginning his general election campaign against McCain. The Democratic frontrunner's campaign earlier released a memo downplaying the importance of West Virginia and denying claims by Clinton that his support among women, white and working-class voters was declining. The memo also decried the use of "irrelevant assumptions from exit poll data in Democratic primaries" that said Democrats will continue to be divided between in November.

The next Democratic primaries will be in Kentucky and Oregon on May 20, a date the Obama campaign has said will be decisive in ending the race for the nomination.