Asked for her measure of success in Tuesday’s four primaries, Clinton was both blunt and vague. Clinton: 'I'm just getting warmed up'

BEAUMONT, Texas — A pugnacious Hillary Clinton refused to handicap tomorrow’s critical primary elections, unbowed by suggestions that she abandon the presidential race if she doesn’t win in delegate-rich Ohio and Texas.

Asked for her measure of success in Tuesday’s four primaries, Clinton was both blunt and vague.


“Winning. Winning. That’s my measurement of success,” she said during a press conference in Toledo, Ohio, before flying to Texas.

Clinton declined to explain whether that means winning the popular vote in all — or even in just one — of the four states in contention: Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. Nor did she say whether it meant winning enough delegates to justify a continued bid.

Asked specifically what she would do in the event that she won narrowly in Ohio but remained behind in the delegate count, Clinton also wouldn’t say.

“I am not a political pundit. I will leave that to all of you,” she said. “I think I know what’s happening, and I believe we are going to do well tomorrow, and I believe that’s going to be a very significant message to the country. And then we move on to Pennsylvania and the states beyond. So, I’m just getting warmed up.”

She started her day before dawn at a Chrysler Jeep plant in Toledo, shaking workers’ hands and asking for their votes at the factory turnstile. She followed that with a series of satellite interviews, mostly with Texas reporters, in which she repeated the themes that have dominated her rallies over the past week: that she’ll work for universal health care; make the best commander in chief; and that voters should view the presidential election as a hiring decision on who can best lead the country.

She also sharpened her attack on the Obama campaign for the apparent contradiction between Obama’s speeches criticizing NAFTA and news reports that one of his advisers met privately with Canadian government officials and expressed a position at odds with the candidate’s tougher stance — a discrepancy that she said spoke to her rival’s credibility.

“Apparently, what seems to have occurred is that the Obama campaign had Sen. Obama in Ohio making speeches against NAFTA and having his chief economic adviser making it clear in Canada that he doesn’t really mean it. I think that raises real questions of credibility,” she said. “You know where I stand. I’ve said that NAFTA has problems. I’ve said exactly what we’ll do to fix it.”

After speaking to supporters at the University of Toledo, Clinton flew to this oil refinery city about an hour north of Houston, meeting with a modest crowd of mostly middle-aged and older supporters in an airport hangar. She emphasized, along with a litany of bread-and-butter themes, the need for supporters not only to vote in the primary but to attend party caucuses in what has been called the “Texas two-step” contest.

“I know there are a lot of hard-working people here in Beaumont… and I know how important it is to have a president who understands it’s time to put the American people first again,” she said to loud applause.

She also delivered a line that was as popular here as it was with Ohio crowds: “The world will breathe a sigh of relief when President Bush leaves office.”

The mood on her campaign seemed more upbeat, and in addition to what Clinton aides are calling “NAFTA-gate,” it’s easy to trace the source. It dates back to Thursday’s announcement that the campaign had raised $35 million in February, a remarkable sum for a presidential candidate who may not be in the race past tomorrow.

Even as the campaign faces a dire, must-win scenario, there is optimism among Clinton backers, perhaps even a slight spring in their steps, and much of it comes from the $35 million figure.

“I think Sen. Clinton has been raising funds simply because a lot of people are finally realizing that she is definitely discussing matters in a way that we the people need,” said volunteer Lole J. Charles, 63, a former adult educator who now works as a bookkeeper and Spanish/English translator out of her San Antonio home.

It’s an odd piece of inspiration, hardly the kind of thing that stirs voters’ souls. And not long after the February haul was announced, the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama countered that he had raised even more.

Still, after 11 straight losses, at least it's something for staffers, supporters and volunteers to hang their hopes on.

It wasn’t just the dollar amount that had the campaign crowing. It was also the inspirational e-mail testimonials that accompanied donations.

The campaign released e-mails from nine supporters who sent, along with their donations, messages such as this one, from “Al” of Apollo, Pa.: “Just made my $10.44 cont. to Hillary My fifth of this wonderful effort to elect Hillary as our first Woman President. Join me in this vital mission to save our Great Country. I am 90 and on SS but this is a mission that has become a great part of my life.”

Part of the election eve optimism is rooted in the theory that working-class Hispanic voters aren’t necessarily reflected in polls, said Texas state Sen. Carlos Uresti. And, he said, those voters are loyal to Clinton.

Uresti said these blue-collar supporters usually aren’t home when pollsters call. “My constituents are working a job, two and a half jobs…” he said. “I don’t think they’re getting incorporated into the polling data.”

Rallies, too, can be deceptive, he said, referring to Obama’s gatherings, which have typically been much larger than those of Clinton. Obama draws much of his support from college students and young people, Uresti said, while “we’re relying on a lot of our veterans, our senior citizens, [and] they’re not as mobile, they can’t get to the rallies as much as some 19- or 20-year-old voter.”

Yet as much as anything else, Uresti and other local officials working on Clinton’s behalf said it was the fundraising figures that had suddenly raised hopes and expectations.

“It gives us that extra boost that we need to boost the morale of the volunteers and campaign in general,” said Uresti. “And it shows that we have the momentum. I truly believe the momentum is shifting in Texas.”

Like Uresti, State Rep. Jose Menendez, whose district is two-thirds Hispanic, also believes the Clinton campaign is newly energized.

“I think Texas is a place where people don’t like being told what to do. We’re independent, and a lot of us resent the fact that, whether it be the pundits or the media or other states trying to tell us, ‘Here’s the inevitable. Just jump on board.’” he said, referring to Obama’s candidacy.

“Well, I’m sorry, we have a choice. We have a choice. And it didn’t stop me from writing a check [to Clinton] and maxing out.”