The fight for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S. presidential election keeps intensifying. Neither New York Sen. Hillary Clinton nor Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has been able to deliver a knockout blow, and the momentum keeps shifting from primary to primary. Clearly, Democratic voters have not made up their minds and want to see this historic campaign go on. The big question now is whether a drawn-out contest will damage the party's chances in the November ballot. Republicans are gleeful at the prospect but schadenfreude may be misplaced. The Democratic contest is energizing voters and generating attention: It is invigorating a party that is eager to seize the White House.
Mrs. Clinton entered the campaign as the party's presumptive candidate. She had the name, the machine and the record to put any possible opposition away quickly in the primaries. She stumbled, however, miscalculating Mr. Obama's appeal, his tenacity and his fundraising capabilities. From the first Iowa caucuses, the two have been battling furiously, dividing primary wins between them.
In recent weeks, Mr. Obama has been the pace setter, winning 11 primaries in a row. The Texas and Ohio primaries held earlier this month were "must-win" contests for Mrs. Clinton; strategists argued a loss in either would have been the death knell of her campaign. In fact, Mrs. Clinton won convincing victories in both states, and then announced that her campaign had raised $35 million in February, both of which show that her supporters have not given up.