Clinton wins Puerto Rico primary

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Senator Hillary Clinton of New York was projected by U.S. TV networks to handily win Sunday's Democratic presidential primary in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

But her rival Senator Barrack Obama of Illinois will still pickup some delegates going to the national convention in Puerto Rico, and is approaching the number needed to secure the party's presidential nomination each day.

Based on exit polls, Clinton is likely to beat Obama at a ratio of two to one in a clean sweep across all demographic groups in the island.

However, the victory is largely symbolic as Obama is well ahead of her in the tally of delegates going to the August national convention.

Going to the Puerto Rico primary, Obama has some 2,050 delegates and Hillary Rodham Clinton has 1,877.

It now needs at least 2,118 delegates to win the Democratic nomination and that looks increasingly within Obama's reach.

Primaries in Montana and South Dakota of June 3 are the only two contests left for this year's Democratic nomination election cycle.

There are 55 delegates at stake Sunday in Puerto Rico's primary, 16 at stake on Tuesday in Montana and 15 at stake on Tuesday in South Dakota.

Obama is confident he will get enough delegates to clinch the nomination next week and plans to make a victory speech on Tuesday.

Despite all the odds, Clinton campaigned in earnest in Puerto Rico for more electoral votes during the weekend and hopes she can claim a lead in total tally of popular votes after a clean victory in the tropical island.

A spokesman for the Obama campaign said the Illinois senator could secure the Democratic nomination this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, after the Montana and South Dakota contests.

"If not Tuesday, I think it will be fairly soon," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Sunday on ABC's This Week.

To quickly unite a party that is divided by the two campaigns in preparations for the general election, Obama congratulates Clinton's win in Puerto Rico and extended olive branch.

"I just got off the phone with Sen. Clinton. She's going to win Puerto Rico and I wanted to congratulate her for that," Obama told supporters in Mitchell, S.D.

"Sen. Clinton is an outstanding public servant," he said.

"She has worked tirelessly in this campaign. She has been a great senator for the state of New York, and she is going to be a great asset when we go into November to make sure that we defeat the Republicans," Obama added.

However, there is no sign for the moment for Clinton to consider quitting.

The landslide win in Puerto Rico gives her a new argument to stay on the race: she has won the popular vote in the nomination elections.

She predicted that after the last two primaries on June 3, neither she nor Obama will still have the 2,118 needed to secure the nomination.

The former first lady made another appeal to the party's superdelegates -- the nearly 800 elected officials, party leaders and activists who may cast their votes for whomever they wish at this summer's Democratic National Convention.

"Cast your votes based on whom you think best represents the will of the people who have voted, on whom you think can best lead the party to victory in November, and on whom you think would make the best president," she said.

"I am in this race because I believe I am that candidate," Clinton said.