Running Mate Blog: May 12th, 2008

Reporting
Samantha Hayes

CHARLESTON, W. VIRGINIA (CBS4) ― Samantha Hayes
May 11, 2008
Charleston, West Virginia


Senator Hillary Clinton is expected to win in West Virginia tomorrow and probably by a large margin. But even a resounding victory here won't do much to put her campaign back into serious contention with Senator Barack Obama. West Virginia has 18 delegates at stake. Even an unlikely clean sweep by Clinton wouldn't come close. Obama has built a formidable barrier between himself and Clinton of 168 pledged delegates.

But even though many are already calling Obama the "unofficial" nominee, the race isn't over, and Clinton is continuing to run full speed ahead. She has been campaigning in West Virginia as tirelessly as she has in all the other states.

On Sunday, with daughter Chelsea at her side, Clinton made several campaign stops including the town of Grafton, where she honored Anna Jarvis, who is credited for starting Mother's Day 100 years ago. Clinton praised Jarvis for her perseverance to create a day of recognition, and how she succeeded against the odds.

While the odds are stacked against Clinton, no matter how the race ends, she is a woman admired by many of her peers. While in Grafton, Clinton read a message from a supporter named Angela who advises Clinton to "Keep strong. It's not over until the lady in the pant suit says it is."

And that lady is staying the course. A week from Tuesday, Clinton also expects to win in Kentucky's Democratic primary and perhaps use the support she's garnered from working class voters to try and convince super delegates, who could decide the nomination, to support her instead of Obama. But that would be a hard sell, especially if Obama continues to widen his lead in the remaining contests.

But Clinton seemed to answer the calls of her critics while in Eleanor, West Virginia where she quoted the town's namesake and another First Lady. "One of my favorite sayings of Eleanor Roosevelt is especially appropriate for Mother's Day. You never know how this saying might come in handy. A woman is like a tea bag you never know how strong she is until she is in hot water."

(CNN)