During a campaign fundraiser Saturday night in Portland, Obama said in order for Democrats to win in Novemeber it will require a unified Party and that means all of you have to be nice to Clinton supporters.
(PORTLAND, Ore. ) - Whoever said Oregonains don't know how to throw a great party had better think again.
Sunday afternoon, an estimated 75,000 people -- 60,000 inside the gates and another 15,000 outside -- some even on boats and rafts on the Willamette River -- jammed Waterfront Park in downtown Portland to hear Sen. Barack Obama speak at a rally.
“Hello Portland! Wow. Wow. Wow, this is unbelievable,” he yelled as the huge crowd chanted “Obama!” Obama told reporters when asked if he was going to declare victory on Tuesday after the Oregon vote: “We think we will have a majority of pledged delegates at that point and that’s a pretty significant mark.”
Former President Bill Clinton along with daughter Chelsea, stopped by Riverfront Park in Salem to campaign for Hillary. Gov. Ted Kulongoski introduced the duo, but the attendance was a far-cry from the support Obama received in Portland. Clinton is expected to lose the Beaver State by a double-digit margin according to most polls. During a campaign fundraiser Saturday night in Portland, Obama said in order for Democrats to win in Novemeber it will require a unified Party and that means all of you have to be nice to Clinton supporters.
After the Portland rally, Obama headed east for a 6:30 PM town-hall meeting at the Pendleton Convention Center.
According to both campaign's, neither candidate will be in Oregon on Tuesday. Clinton is expected to be in Kentucky, while Obama, is scheduled to be in Iowa, the state who's caucuses first established him as a viable contender for the nomination.
As if Obama Campaign needed more momentum, The Associated Press reported on Sunday that a vote of more than 2,500 convention delegates broke 55-45 percent in Obama's favor, giving Obama 14 of Nevada's 25 pledged delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Denver this summer to Clinton's 11. Obama also added delegate pickups in Kansas and Maryland.
2,026 delegates are needed to get the Democratic nomination. Barack Obama has 1,904 to 1,717 for Clinton. That means Obama needs only 122 more delegates in the next five contests (Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana) to become the nominee. There are 260-plus superdelegates who are yet to be claimed and are not bound by the outcome of any state's vote.
As of Thursday, 29 percent of Oregon voters statewide had turned in their ballots. In the mid-Willamette Valley, Marion County as of Saturday was at 38 percent; Polk County was at 31 percent, and Linn County was at 28 percent, both of those numbers were last reported on Thursday.
Most believe Clinton must beat Obama in Oregon on Tuesday to have any hope of keeping her campaign going.
Obama Supporters Rock Downtown Portland, OregonSalem-News.com