From BBC News:
Clinton will quit and back Obama

Hillary Clinton will withdraw from the race to become the Democratic candidate for the US presidency, and back her rival Barack Obama, her campaign says.

On Tuesday, Mr Obama gained enough delegates to win the nomination, after the final votes of the primary season.

Mrs Clinton has not publicly admitted losing, but at an event on Saturday she will do so "and express her support for Senator Obama", aides say.

Mr Obama has already announced a team to help select his running mate.

Reports that Mrs Clinton was ready to concede came after she made a conference call to senior Democrats in Congress.

At a Democratic Party event in Washington, Mrs Clinton will also "express her support... for party unity", her communications director Howard Wolfson said.

Earlier, it had been announced that the event would be held on Friday, but Mr Wolfson said it had been delayed a day "to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend".

The BBC's Jane O'Brien in Washington says that as Mr Obama was claiming victory, Hillary Clinton stunned even her own supporters with a speech that offered no indication that she was giving up.

There is speculation that the delay in conceding was an attempt to position herself as a possible vice-president, our correspondent adds.

Continue reading this article at BBC News

Labels: politics