Clinton on NBC Nightly News: ‘I Don’t Believe in Being Pushed Out’

Hillary Clinton will appear on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams tonight, and NBC has released excerpts.

Clinton says she thinks Democrats will have a nominee before their August convention, but that the party will know more after holding the last of its primaries June 3.

The New York senator also tells Williams she has stayed in the race because she believes she’s the better candidate.

“I don’t believe in quitting,” Clinton says. “I don’t believe in being pushed out.”

See NBC’s excerpts below:

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Senator, what is the chance that the Democrats go into their convention without a clear nominee? Are we still going to be talking about this at the convention?

HILLARY CLINTON: I think we’ll have a nominee. I really believe that. But again, we’ll know a lot more on June 4th. And maybe I just have more patience than the average person these days. But for me, it’s a privilege and a joy to travel around our country to make my case to people from one coast to the other and to continue to, you know, work as hard as I can to win this nomination. And that’s what I intend to do. And, you know, we’ll get to June the 4th after the last votes are cast on June the 3rd. And I think we’ll have a better idea about where we stand.

BRIAN WILLIAMS: People who haven’t been along with you on the campaign trail or watched it, say, on C-SPAN, may not have a good feel for the number of times in the average day your supporters do come up to you, those who believe in you absolutely passionately and tell you to keep going, tell you not to get out. But with the math against you in all of those categories I guess a lot of people are wondering, some of them out of complete frustration, why stay in? Is it an act of God or an emergency of some sort that you’re counting on?

HILLARY CLINTON: No. It’s because I really believe I would be the stronger candidate. And we’re near the end of what’s been a long process. I don’t believe in quitting. I don’t believe in being pushed out. I feel I have a bond with the nearly 17 million people who have voted for me, and the million more who have expressed support for me or contributed to me or come out to see me. And I think that having a nominee is something we will get to. We’re not, you know, we’re not going to miss that opportunity. We will have a nominee, but only after everyone has had a chance to vote.

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Senator, you lost out on the endorsement today of NARAL, the National Abortion Rights Action League. They went with Senator Obama. It’s fair to say you were almost present at the creation of NARAL. You’ve been extraordinarily close to that organization for so many years. That had to hurt.

HILLARY CLINTON: Well, obviously, I’ve– I am disappointed because of the work that I’ve done for so many years. I’m proud to have the support of, you know, many other groups that– share my– views and my commitment to issues. But we’re going forward. And we’re gonna see where this process– finally– resolves. And– we’ll have a nominee. And then we’ll all be united.