CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Memo to those writing political obituaries for Hillary Clinton: She ain't done yet. Clinton sought to drive home that message to hundreds of cheering supporters at a rally here today, contending West Virginia will muzzle the pundits by giving her a resounding win on Tuesday over Barack Obama, whose victory Tuesday in North Carolina and strong showing in Indiana moved him closer to clinching the Democratic presidential nomination.
"I know that according to the polls, I'm doing well here. But I want to do really well," Clinton said. "Some people call you swing voters, I call you hard-working Americans."
She said she is best able to defeat Republican John McCain in the fall because she can carry swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and, according to most predictions, West Virginia.
Noting that no one has won the presidency since 1968 without carrying the Mountain State, she said West Virginians "represent the heart and soul of the Democratic Party."
"We think there is still a good chance to win," said Spud Terry, 61, of Nitro and a retired transportation worker wearing a green "AFSCME for Hillary" shirt. "There are a lot of people who might get a wake-up call next month, especially the superdelegates."
Obama created a stir today in Washington in an unannounced visit during House votes that lasted more than half an hour. He was surrounded by well-wishers calling him, "Mr. President" and reaching out to pat him on the back.
The Illinois senator told reporters afterward that he was asking members of Congress to support his White House candidacy. He said he wants to bring the party together behind him as soon as possible, but he recognizes he'll have to keep on working to finally defeat Clinton.
He said Clinton is a formidable candidate who is likely to win Tuesday's West Virginia primary, with 28 delegates in the offing, and Kentucky's primary on May 20.
The mountains ringing Charleston were socked-in by low clouds, and a light rain pushed the rally into the State Capitol Rotunda. A crowd of about 500 people warmed up to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," the song that gave West Virginia its "Almost Heaven" nickname.
During a 25-minute speech, Clinton received loud applause when she renewed her call to suspend the 18.4-cent federal gas tax for the summer, a proposal Obama has derided as a "gimmick."
Larry Wilson, 68, and his wife Judy, 61, of Milton, drove about 30 miles to join the rally. The couple said Clinton should defy the mounting pressure for her to bow out of the race.
"I don't think it's over yet and I don't agree with a lot of the people that are changing sides to kind of go with the flow," said Judy Wilson.
"If you are behind someone because you believe in their political beliefs, you don't change in the middle of the stream. I believe Hillary can win the nomination."
"It's not over until she says it's over," said Larry Wilson, a store owner.
The Clintons show no signs of letting up.
Clinton will leave West Virginia for South Dakota, where she has an event in Sioux Falls later today. Tonight and tomorrow she campaigns in Oregon and tomorrow night will speak to the Kentucky Democratic Party dinner in Louisville.
Former President Bill Clinton's packed schedule includes events across lower West Virginia from early this morning until late this evening, with stops in Philippi, Sutton, Fayetteville, Fairlea and Bluefield.
The Obama campaign is making a hard push to persuade undeclared superdelegates that he essentially has sewn up the nomination. The campaign touts that Obama has won 32 contests to 16 for Clinton and needs just 33 more pledged delegates to clinch a majority of all pledged delegates, and needs only 169 more delegates overall to seal the nomination.
Obama has a fundraiser tonight in Washington and is scheduled to campaign in Oregon on Friday and Saturday. He is expected to campaign again in West Virginia early next week.
A Rasmussen Reports poll released Monday showed Clinton leading Obama in West Virginia by 56 to 27 percent, with 17 percent undecided.