UNITED STATES -- It's been an intense primary season with the odds and the critics stacked against her. And still, Senator Hillary Clinton plugs forward.
"One of my favorite sayings of Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she is in hot water,’” Clinton said.
According to her campaign, her win in the Mountain State reaffirms her proven strength in winning key swing states and what they say is Senator Obama's apparent weakness.
“She'll win next week in Kentucky. These are two purple states, states that we won in 1992, won in 1996. She'll win these two contexts. She'll win Puerto Rico,” said Terry McAuliffe. “So by the end of this process three weeks from now, she'll be ahead in the popular vote, she'll be very close on delegates."
Clinton contends the choice of West Virginia is more important that most realize, saying since 1916, no democrat has won the White House without winning West Virginia first.
"West Virginia is making a decision that has far reaching consequences to send a message to people to what you expect in your next president," said Clinton.
In the prolonged process that has been the Democratic primary, the odds are now overwhelmingly in favor of Barack Obama. But despite that, Hillary Clinton was the candidate to beat in West Virginia. Pre-primary polls showed her way out in front, which is exactly how it ended up. The question is, will it matter? Our Erin Billups has been watching West Virginia and has the details of how it all unfolded.
But Obama's camp is not worried. The Senator himself has openly conceded a West Virginia win to Clinton several times.
"I understand that many more here in West Virginia will probably support Senator Clinton," Obama stated.
He says now it’s about the numbers and who can claim the most superdelegates.
Right now he can -- Obama has 277, Clinton has 273.
But despite the divide between them, a rare moment of unity came Tuesday as both Democrats spoke and shook hands on the Senate floor. It's a theme Obama is emphasizing as he looks past Clinton to a general election fight with John McCain.
Senator Obama campaigned very little in West Virginia. He's on his way to a two-week tour of the remaining primary states while Clinton heads to Oregon.
Kentucky is the next primary on May 20th.