(CNN) - In what appear to be the New York senator's most blunt comments to date regarding a racial division in the Democratic presidential race, Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday that "White Americans" are increasingly turning away from Barack Obama’s candidacy.
"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," Clinton said in an interview with USA TODAY.
Clinton cited an Associated Press poll "that found how Senator Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."
"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.
Exit polls from Tuesday's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina show Clinton won about 60 percent of the white vote in both states. That percentage is down from the Ohio primary on March 4, in which Clinton won upwards of 65 percent of the white vote. Meanwhile, Clinton garnered 63 percent of the white vote in Pennsylvania on April 22.
Speaking with the paper, Clinton rejected the notion her comments were racially divisive in any way.
"These are the people you have to win if you're a Democrat in sufficient numbers to actually win the election," she said. "Everybody knows that."
Obama spokesman Bill Burton called Clinton's statements "not true and frankly disappointing."
From CNN Politics
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This is nothing the right VP cant fix. I really wish she would stop the drama!
Bill Burton it is true and you know it, the fact is this whole election would be different if Obama was while and Clinton was a male... really who are we kidding here???
hillary loves the racist vote. those airheads are trying to keep her sinking ship afloat. we all know that these are the same people who threaten us with mccain and say no way obama. if she didn't have their support this race would have been over a long time ago.
This lady disgusts me. She wants to continue dividing the races. I CAN not and WILL not vote for someone that wants to continue dividing people.
She is sick this women. Pathetic
Wow. That's pretty divisive of her.
now is the time for Hillarys quote in 1972 in regard to southern white voters 'Srew'em'.... guess she needs us now–NOT
Thanks for helping to contribute to racial polarization, Hillary.
look at you HRC?! you have hit rock bottom...you will never hold any kind of office again after this. you have your chance to exit with dignity why not take it before this blows up in your face.
OOPS – keep talking Hillary.
There she goes again, doing what she can to divide the country. Some leader. She is a corrupt crook. She'll be in jail one of these days and all your Clinton-ites will be mortified that you ever believed in her...
Say whatever, but yes – seems like many whites are pissed off at what Blacks did in this election – they voted exclusively based on race.
White woman for Obama!! Yes, I'm educated, too educated to vote for Hillary.
WOW, this woman will say and do anything to hang on.
She really does not seem to care how much she divides the Democratic party to stay in the race.
Wow.
This is ridiculous. Enough is enough. I want my PA vote back!
Give me 2 minutes with her...i really want to give her a piece of my mind!
I guess the African American, Asian & Hispanic vote doesn't really matter to her after all.
Somebody please make her stop!!! PLEASE!!!!
I don't know what Hillary is thinking; most white Americans are going to vote for McCain. It won't matter if she is the democratic nominee or Obama is.
Thanks Hill, for disenfranchising the rest of us. We appreciate that.
Now I am very disappointed in her. She is starting to draw a line in the sand among voters based on race. This is going to be horrible for whomever whens the nominations because now there is going to be racial resentment. I'm ashamed of her.
I hadn't thought I could get any more disgusted. I was wrong.
sad that she would stoop this low to win an election. this proves the theory that the clintons will say and do anything to get elected.....
Is she suggesting here that the only hard-working Americans out there are white?
Hillary, I believe there's a time machine available to take you back to the '60s and earlier. You could even hit the late '30s and set up camp in Germany – I hear those comments you made would go over real well there!
She wants that to be true but it's not.