Clinton makes it official, schedules event for Saturday

Hillary Clinton's campaign has confirmed her intent to suspend her campaign and support Barack Obama.

Published June 5, 2008 1:20AM (EDT)

Hillary Clinton's campaign has just released a statement that seems to confirm earlier reports that she will be suspending her race for the presidency and endorsing Barack Obama. However, the date for the event at which this announcement will be officially made has been changed from Friday to Saturday.

"Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, DC to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity," the statement says. "This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend."

From various reports, it appears Clinton came to her decision based at least in part on a conference call she held Wednesday afternoon with congressional supporters during which it became clear that she could not hold out for long before even the staunchest of her backers would feel compelled to go to Obama's side. Politico's Ben Smith says Clinton had organized this call in order to "plead for time" before dropping out, but that over the course of the conversation "her supporters laid down the law: Time had run out, and she needed to leave the race this week."

It appears that, officially, Clinton will be suspending her campaign, rather than ending it. Former Sen. John Edwards did the same thing when he dropped out of the race earlier this year; it's a technical difference that means her pledged delegates remain technically bound to her, though in reality they can vote for whomever they choose. More importantly, considering her campaign's debt, it means she can continue to raise money.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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