Senator Hillary Clinton, facing long odds to secure the Democratic nomination, crushed Senator Barack Obama last night in West Virginia. The final tally:

Clinton 239,062 67%

Obama 91,652 26%

Edwards 26,076 7%

The race, with the demographics of West Virginia, heavily favored Clinton, with Obama conceding as much up front. From the Washington Post:

Interviews with West Virginians leaving their polling places suggested Clinton’s victory could be as overwhelming as any she has gained to date, delivered by an electorate that was 95 percent white and was composed of the kinds of voters who favored her in past primaries. Nearly a quarter were 60 or older, and a similar number had no education beyond high school. More than half were in families with incomes of $50,000 or less. The exit polls showed race, education, Obama’s former pastor and a plan for a summertime suspension of federal gas taxes all gave Clinton a huge advantage in the state’s presidential primary.

Despite the overwhelming win by Clinton the drumbeat for withdrawal goes on, with most of the pundits saying the math is set against her. The flow of superdelegates to Obama continues steadily, and while it is not a stampede it is clear that it is trending Obama. From the Post:

He picked up four superdelegates during the day, including Roy Romer, former Democratic Party chairman.
This race, I believe, is over,” Romer told reporters on a conference call. He said only Clinton can decide when to withdraw, but he added: “There is a time we need to end it and direct ourselves to the general election. I think that time is now.”

Clinton is not buying into that theory.

Clinton used her victory speech to again argue that she still had a shot at the nomination. She said the delegates from Michigan and Florida — states that were penalized by the Democratic Party because they held their primaries too early — should be seated at the national convention.

“I believe we should honor the votes cast by 2.3 million people in those states,” Clinton said.

“In light of our overwhelming victory here in West Virginia, I want to send a message to all those who are making up their minds,” she said.

“I am in this race because I believe I am the strongest candidate.”

And on we go. It appears to me that Obama is going to be the nominee, but he clearly has substantial work to do to shore up some major constituencies. The Democratic Party should not have to write off West Virginia in November.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24604728#24604728