Women help Hillary Clinton grab prize | Herald Sun

Women help Hillary Clinton grab prize | Herald Sun: "Women help Hillary Clinton grab prize" Stefanie Balogh January 21, 2008 12:00am HISPANIC and women voters have helped Senator Hillary Clinton hit the jackpot in Nevada to break the deadlock in the Democratic race for the White House. For the first time caucuses were held in nine Las Vegas casinos on the gambling strip as well as elsewhere through the western state, which is viewed as the first test of the Latino vote. The economy again ranked as the key issue. Senator Clinton, vying to be the first female US president, now has two back-to-back victories in the marathon state by state nominating race to determine the Democratic presidential nominee for the November election. She staged an upset comeback in the New Hampshire primary after being emphatically defeated by rival Senator Barack Obama in the earlier Iowa caucus. "I guess this is how the West was won," Senator Clinton told cheering supporters in Las Vegas. Yesterday's Nevada caucus was marred by allegations of voter intimidation and a negative radio ad attacking Senator Clinton in Spanish. Senator Obama captured the majority of African-American voters and won over the youth vote. But Hispanic voters, who made up about 15 per cent of those at the caucuses, overwhelmingly backed Senator Clinton. She again enjoyed a critical boost from women, who had been drafted to the Obama camp by talk show queen Oprah Winfrey. Female voters came back to Senator Clinton in New Hampshire after she revealed a softer side in a teary moment, and stayed with her in Nevada. The Democratic race now turns to its South Carolina primary, where African-American voters will help determine the outcome. About half those expected to take part in the Democratic primary in the state are black and polls show Senator Obama is winning them over. The Democratic nominee is unlikely to be known until after Super Duper Tuesday on February 5 when more than 20 states hold primaries.