Clinton to bow out Saturday

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will officially leave the Democratic presidential race Saturday, her campaign announced Wednesday evening.

{mosads}“Sen. Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, DC to thank her supporters and express her support for Sen. Obama and party unity,” the campaign said in a statement. “This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Sen. Clinton’s supporters who want to attend.”

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday night surpassed the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination. However, in a speech later that evening in New York, the former first lady did not concede defeat and instead said she would take some time to consider her next steps and reflect on the historic Democratic race.

Clinton, a front-runner for most of last year, and a heavy favorite to win the nomination when the race began, saw her lead slip away beginning late last year. When Obama won the Iowa caucuses, the two Democratic heavyweights began a race that saw them shatter all turnout and fundraising records.

Following Obama’s victory, Democrats who hoped to quickly unite the party after the protracted battle between the two senators, were unhappy that Clinton at first did not give any indication of when and whether she would quit the race.