Obama on brink of history, Clinton refuses to quit

End of historic Democratic race

WASHINGTON (AFP)

Democrat Barack Obama was on the historic threshold of becoming America's first black presidential nominee Tuesday, but Hillary Clinton's camp denied reports she was about to fold her campaign.

Voters in the last two states, Montana and South Dakota, closed out a rancorous coast-to-coast nomination duel, as the Democratic Party coalesced around its all but certain 2008 general election champion.

With Obama on the verge of final victory, reports surfaced that Clinton was ready to admit defeat and acknowledge the Illinois senator had the nomination secured, at a "celebration" rally on
Tuesday night.

But her campaign issued a statement denying the reports, and several close aides vehemently pushed back against the idea that she would quit.

"Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination this evening," a statement from the Clinton campaign read, saying reports that she would do were wrong.

"Not true," one aide said, on condition of anonymity, when asked whether she would throw in the towel.

Another senior Clinton official said "there are still people voting, and she is committed to letting everyone vote, we don't know yet how delegates will be awarded from Montana and South Dakota."

Obama's team meanwhile nudged super delegates -- top party insiders -- to jump on his bandwagon, so he would reach the magic number of 2,118 delegates and set off a raucous victory party in Minnesota later Tuesday.

Even Clinton's most upbeat cheerleader, campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe admitted that if the mathematics favored Obama, there was little she could do.

"If Senator Obama gets the number, I think Hillary Clinton will congratulate him, call him the nominee," he told NBC.

"She has given her heart and soul to this campaign. We'll go through today. Let's see where the numbers are," he said.

While an expected flood of super delegates towards Obama had yet to materialize, there were whispers in Congress that lawmakers may move once polls close in South Dakota and Montana.

James Clyburn, an influential African-American leader and a giant in Congress, endorsed Obama early Tuesday and urged other super delegates to make their choices known.

"Today, the process ends. And I hope that enough of us will announce our intentions today so that this evening our candidate, our nominee, presumptive nominee, will be able to credit the voters of this country with having achieved a threshold of 2,118," the South Carolina representative told NBC television.

By late early afternoon, Obama was 31.5 delegates short of the nomination, according to his campaign, with more super delegates expected to come out later in the day.

Thirty-one elected delegates were up for grabs in South Dakota and Montana, and he was expected to win just over half of them.

Regardless, Illinois Senator Obama, 46, planned to train his full fire on potential general election rival John McCain, with a daring foray into the same Minnesota sports arena where Republicans will crown their nominee in September.

Clinton was to appear in her home state of New York, prompting speculation she might step aside at a "celebration" event in Manhattan on Tuesday night.