Obama extends lead over Clinton with Mississippi win

Published on Wednesday 12 March 2008 09:30

US presidential hopeful Barack Obama won the Mississippi Democratic primary to extend his lead over rival Hillary Clinton.

The Illinois senator won 60 per cent of the vote to Mrs Clinton's 38 per cent.

Now the pair face a six-week battle in the run-up to the next contest in Pennsylvania on April 22.

And with only ten contests remaining, the candidates are fighting for every delegate.

Mr Obama said he was "making the case for the need for change in this country".

But neither he nor Mrs Clinton is likely to reach the 2025 needed to clinch the nomination with pledged delegates alone and the race is likely to come down to superdelegates – influential party officials, members of Congress and governors whose votes are not tied to the primary results.

Meanwhile, the issue of race blew up again after Geraldine Ferraro, Democrat vice-presidential nominee in 1984, suggested Mr Obama has been successful only because he is a black man.