Hillary wins Puerto Rico primary; Obama close to nomination, congratulates her on his victory

Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided, but largely symbolic victory Sunday in Puerto Rico's presidential primary, the final act in a tumultuous weekend that brought Barack Obama tantalizingly close to claiming the Democratic presidential nomination. The former first lady was gaining more than 60 percent of the vote in early returns, and a pre-election poll suggested she could wind up with nearly two-thirds support.

But in defeat, Obama was on track to gain at least 14 delegates, bringing him within 50 of the 2,118 needed for the nomination. Aides to the 46-year-old Illinois senator said he would clinch the long-sought prize within days. ``We hope this week, absolutely,'' said spokesman Robert Gibbs. Montana and South Dakota hold primaries on Tuesday, the last of the primary campaign season. Gibbs' confidence reflected the outcome of Saturday's meeting of the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee. Before an audience that jeered and cheered by turns, the panel voted to seat disputed delegations from Michigan and Florida, but give each delegate only one-half vote rather than the full vote sought by the Clinton campaign. While the decision narrowed the gap between Clinton and Obama, it also erased the former first lady's last, best chance to change the course of the campaign. Clinton won at least 28 delegates in Puerto Rico, according to an Associated Press analysis of early returns, with 13 still to be allocated. Obama also picked up two superdelegates on Sunday. Obama now has a total of 2,068 delegates, while Clinton trails with 1,891.5, according to the latest tally by the AP. Senator Barack Obama congratulated rival Hillary Clinton for her win in Puerto Rico's primary Sunday even as his campaign predicted he would soon seal up the Democratic presidential nomination. "I just got off the phone with Senator Clinton," Obama said at a rally in South Dakota, which holds its primary on Tuesday. "She is going to win Puerto Rico and I wanted to congratulate her for that." Obama praised Clinton's talents and said he was optimistic the Democratic Party would forge a united front after an often divisive, marathon campaign. "I know there are a lot of Democrats who have been concerned about whether or not the party's going to be able to come together after this long contest," he said. "Senator Clinton is an outstanding public servant, worked tirelessly in this campaign, been a great senator for the United States and will be a great asset going into November to make sure that we defeat the Republicans.