Mrs Clinton (r) is pitching to blue-collar workers in the next primaries Hillary Clinton is scrambling to revive her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, staking everything on contests in Ohio and Texas next month. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, said he thought she could win the nomination over her rival Barack Obama if she wins the two large states. The two candidates are due to face off in a TV debate in Texas on Thursday. Mr Obama's latest wins came in a caucus in his home state of Hawaii and Tuesday's primary in Wisconsin. The BBC's Jonathan Beale says Wisconsin was a significant victory for Mr Obama, eating into Mrs Clinton's support base. Union endorsements Correspondents say the blue-collar vote will be crucial in the Ohio and Texas contests, and the New York senator has already begun targeting lower-income workers in her campaign ads. "This whole nominating process has come down to Texas and Ohio," said Bill Clinton, campaigning for his wife in Texas. "If she wins in Texas and Ohio, she will win in Pennsylvania and I believe she will win the nomination." Barack Obama has gained backing from some major unions But Mr Obama has begun chipping away at her support among lower-income workers, our correspondent says, and is picking up endorsements from several major trade unions. The Service Employees International Union endorsed him on Friday, and the Teamsters union has also given Mr Obama its backing. "He is the candidate in the best position to lead our movement to restore the American dream for working people in this country," Teamsters general president Jim Hoffa said. In campaign speeches, Mrs Clinton continued to try to depict Mr Obama as a man of fine words but little action. "It's time that we move from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions... This campaign goes on!" she said, quoted by AP, at a fundraising event in New York. "Others might be joining a movement. I'm joining you on the night shift, on the day shift." Democrats Hillary Clinton

17 states, 1,592 delegates Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas Barack Obama

24 states, 1,723 delegates Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state, Wisconsin

2,025 delegates needed for nomination. Source AP (includes all kinds of delegates)

Q&A: US election delegates

Republicans Mike Huckabee

8 states, 271 delegates Campaign ended

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kansas, Louisiana John McCain

20 states, 1,253 delegates Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state, Wisconsin Mitt Romney

11 states, 251 delegates Campaign suspended

Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah

1,191 delegates needed for nomination. Source: AP (includes all kinds of delegates) Speaking in Houston, Mr Obama said the change he wanted would be hard to achieve. "It is going to require more than rousing speeches... It is going to require something more, because the problem that we face in America today is not the lack of good ideas. It's that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die." Republican frontrunner John McCain, who is now virtually assured of his party's nomination, also appeared to attack Mr Obama. "I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure that Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," he said. Women and youth In the Wisconsin and Hawaii contests, Mr Obama amassed at least 55 of the delegates who will officially nominate the Democratic candidate - compared to Mrs Clinton's 33. He now boasts a total of 1,335 of the delegates to his rival's 1,251. Six delegates are still to be allocated. It will take 2,025 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination at the party's national convention this summer. The Illinois senator was reported to have gained almost equal support from white women, and to have polled well from working-class Democrats - both groups that have usually supported Mrs Clinton. Mr Obama also took the youth vote and six out of 10 voters who described themselves as independent, according to exit polls for ABC. The Ohio and Texas primaries will be held on 4 March, together with the smaller New England states of Vermont and Rhode Island. Are you in next month's key primary states of Ohio or Texas? How do you intend to vote? How crucial do you think those primaries are in this election race? Send us your comments using the form below. Name

Your E-mail address

Town & Country

Phone number (optional):

Comments

The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.

Terms & Conditions





E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious

Digg

reddit

Facebook

StumbleUpon What are these?