US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has vowed to stay in the race to the very end, despite warnings that a protracted primary fight could be damaging to the party.
Senator Clinton told The Washington Post that she has no intention of stopping until 'we finish what we started and until we see what happens in the next 10 contests and until we resolve Florida and Michigan.'
The two states held their Democratic primaries in January, but because they were held in violation of national party rules, their results have been invalidated.
Mrs Clinton, who won in both of these states, now wants to find a way to include Florida and Michigan in the overall tally for the Democratic nominating convention.
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean warned this week that the party needed to unify soon to avoid handing November's presidential election to the Republicans, and Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont called openly for Clinton to quit.
But yesterday, Senator Clinton's rival, Barack Obama, rejected calls for her to get out of the nomination race.
Campaigning in Pennsylvania Obama told reporters that Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants.
He said that she should be able to compete, and her supporters should be able to support her for as long as they are willing or able.
The Illinois senator has a slim lead over Senator Clinton but neither can win the 2,025 delegates necessary to wrap up the party's nomination, leaving the decision up to the superdelegates.
Both camps said they did not believe the ongoing race was damaging.
But Mrs Clinton needs a big win in Pennsylvania to boost her argument that only she can win larger states that Democrats need to recapture the White House.
She is leading Senator Obama by double digits in most polls in Pennsylvania, but his aides believe he manages to increase his support by spending time in a state.
Mr Obama has admitted he was not as well known as the New York senator in Pennsylvania, but said he thinks he has a good chance in the state.
