WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York is coming under increasing pressure to withdraw from the Democratic presidential nomination race, US media said Thursday.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks during a campaign stop at the Merrillville Fire Department Station #2 in Merrillville, Indiana, May 5, 2008. [Agencies]
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NBC chief political analyst Tim Russert said, "I reported early this morning I could not find an objective Democrat who thought the race was not over."
ABC World News said "the outlook for the Clinton campaign looks bleak."
The New York Times reports on its front page that Clinton faces "waning support from Democratic officials and donors. Some of her advisers acknowledged privately that they remained unsure about the future of her candidacy," expressing doubt about "how long she would stay in the race."
McClatchy newspapers described Clinton as "broke and politically battered," saying she is "reduced to pursuing two potentially divisive options that could hurt the party: Magnify the racial fault line in the party by stressing Obama's inability to win white working-class voters and press the party to change its rules and seat unsanctioned delegations from Florida and Michigan at the national convention in August."
Roll Call says "a quiet consensus is emerging among Democratic lawmakers" that Obama "has all but sealed up the party's presidential nomination," and "most Democrats said they are hoping the contest has entered a new phase, in which Clinton will scale back attacks on Obama in advance of an eventual exit and to allow him to pivot toward Sen. John McCain."
Fox News' "Special Report" quoted Democratic strategist Tad Devine as saying, "Fundamentally, the race is over. I think Barack Obama last night did what he had to do to position himself so that it is practically impossible to catch him."
In Tuesday's primaries, Obama beat Clinton 56-42 percent in North Carolina while Clinton scored a 51-49 percent win over Obama in Indiana.