Posted May 21, 2008

Though he lost another landslide race to Senator Clinton in Kentucky yesterday, Senator Obama managed a sturdy victory in Oregon, which confirmed his standing as the candidate with the majority of total pledged delegates in Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses. Obama has won 1,649.5 pledged delegates, surpassing the 1,627 needed to claim a majority, according to an Associated Press tally.

"We have returned to Iowa with the majority of the delegates ... and you have put us in reach of the nomination for president of the United States of America," Obama told an enthusiastic Iowa crowd last evening. The state was something of a turning point in the junior senator's campaign - giving him a surprise victory in its January caucuses.

Obama made certain to be gracious in acknowledging his opponent: "We've had our disagreements in this campaign, but we all admire her courage," he said. "Sen. Clinton has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and your daughters will come of age."

Clinton won Kentucky by an astounding 35 points - getting 65% to Obama's 30% of the vote. In Oregon, Obama's win was less dramatic, though still significant: He took 58% to Clinton's 42% of the vote.

The total delegate count as of last evening was Obama - 1,953 to Clinton - 1,770. Though Senator Obama is now just 73 delegates away from achieving the magic number of 2,026 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, Senator Clinton remains in the race. The New York senator's campaign has said that June 3 (the day of the final contests in Montana and South Dakota) would be the defining date, on which the contest would finally come to a conclusion.