VOA常速英语2008年-Clinton Scores Victory in Pennsylvania Primary

By Cindy Saine
Washington
23 April 2008

Senator Hillary Clinton has kept her presidential bid alive with a nearly 10-point victory over Senator Barack Obama in Tuesday's crucial Pennsylvania primary. The victory is a boost for Senator Clinton, but she still trails Senator Barack Obama in the total number of votes received in state primary races and in the total number of pledged delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination¹. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

On the morning after the Pennsylvania primary, Senator Hillary Clinton summed up her feelings about her nearly 10-point win on the CBS Early Show.

"It was a wonderful night," she said.

A number of political analysts² had said Senator Clinton needed a convincing win in Pennsylvania to stay in the race, and that is exactly what she got. Some Democrats³ were hoping for a closer outcome that would have compelled Clinton to drop out of the race, allowing the party to unite behind Senator Obama and focus on defeating Republican candidate Senator John McCain in the November general election.

At a victory rally late Tuesday in Philadelphia, Senator Clinton told her cheering supporters that the tide is turning. Speaking to CBS News, she said the victory would give her momentum⁴ for the next primaries, and explained why she believes more voters chose her.

"They believe that I offer them and their families the, you know, best chance for a better future," she said. "And I think that is what is going on here."

Senator Clinton also said that her campaign raised more than $3 million overnight with an Internet appeal after her victory. Her campaign had gone into debt during the Pennsylvania race, while Senator Obama still has plenty of funds for the next contests.

As in other races, Senator Clinton carried her core supporters, voters over the age of 60, female voters and lower income voters. Senator Obama again did best with young people, higher income voters and Black voters.

Obama, 46, sought to reassure⁵ his supporters late Tuesday at a rally in Evansville, Indiana. He pointed⁶ out that Senator Clinton had led in opinion polls by more than 20 percentage points in Pennsylvania six weeks ago, and that he gained ground in the state.

"And now six weeks later, we closed the gap. We rallied people of every age, and race and background to the cause. And, and whether they were inspired for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, we registered a record number of voters and it is those new voters who will lead our party to victory in November," he added.

But before either candidate can turn their sights on the November election against Senator McCain, Democrats must decide which one of them is the nominee⁷. There are nine more contests between now and early June, starting with primaries in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6. Senator Obama is heavily favored to win in North Carolina, and Senator Clinton currently has a slight lead in most voter surveys in Indiana.

1 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。