Hillary: In ‘until there’s a nominee’

(Via msnbc.com.)

Hillary Clinton wasted little time reaffirming her intention to see the Democratic contest through, telling reporters that she is “staying in this race until there’s a nominee.”

“And I obviously am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee,” she said. “That is what I’ve done; that’s what I’m continuing to do.”

The statement, made barely 12 hours after most news organizations finally called Indiana for Clinton, comes despite increasing pressure for her to step aside, given the shrinking mathematical window to reach the delegate threshold (whichever it is) and the perception that a prolonged fight will hurt the party’s standard bearer.

“I just don’t believe that,” Clinton said of the latter view. “We’ve had a historic, record turnout by both of us bringing people into the Democratic Party. … And I think we can build on that going forward.”

She added that her husband didn’t secure the nomination in 1992 until June and was successful, while John Kerry, an Obama supporter, was the nominee by March 2004 and lost to George Bush. She also said that under Republican Party rules, she’d have won the nomination by now.

“So this is a dynamic electoral environment,” she said. “What matters is what strength you have going into the general election, who you’re going to be able to bring to your side, and what the electoral map will look like.”

To drive that point home, campaign aides pointed out to reporters that no Democratic candidate has won the White House without winning West Virginia since Woodrow Wilson.

Full story here.