Rolling through GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico (CNN) - Sen. Hillary Clinton's marathon caravan through the communities surrounding San Juan rolls on.
For the last several hours, the candidate has stood atop a souped-up white truck with her campaign logo splashed on the side. She's endured drizzle (umbrella immediately appeared) and sun (visor put on).
She's blown air-kisses to the crowd, waved at women in rollers who have come running, screaming, from beauty parlors, and stood quietly looking out over the landscape.
The mess of reporters following her has had the chance to survey every change in her facial expression as they hang off a covered truck mere feet from the presidential candidate.
The never-ending, ear-splitting soundtrack for this Puerto Rican campaign tradition is a mix of Ricky Martin and a salsa campaign jingle that includes an announcer screaming, "Who is here? Hillary Clinton, the next president of the United States!"
At various intersections, drivers of trucks and cars lay on their horns, trying to compete with the decibel level of the roughly 15-foot speaker leading Clintons ever-growing caravan.
As for news? It's slim pickings. One intrepid pool reporter attempted a question about the DNC meeting that could decide the status of disputed delegates from Florida and Michigan as the candidate briefly ducked into a restaurant but came up empty.
The caravan - over 15 cars long - rolls on.
CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (CNN) - Hillary Clinton’s campaign embarked on a jam-packed day of Puerto Rico campaigning Saturday in an effort to get out tomorrow’s primary vote as a Democratic National Committee panel convened in Washington to essentially decide how the Democratic primary process will end.
A Clinton aide said she will likely receive updates from staff at the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting.
Clinton made no mention of the fight to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations during her first stop at a hospital where she talked about her plan to bring equitable and universal health care to Puerto Rico.
Several supporters addressed her as “President Clinton,” prompting cheers from the crowd.
Puerto Rico is not only important to Clinton’s presidential aspirations but also as a senator from New York who represents approximately 1 million Puerto Ricans.
“Campaigning in Puerto Rico is like one long Puerto Rican Day parade,” she said referencing a yearly event in New York City.
Clinton will spend the day “caravanning,” a Puerto Rican political tradition in which the candidate rides through various communities meeting and greeting voters and produces a wild and carnival-like atmosphere.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CNN) - Sen. Hillary Clinton is spending her second straight weekend campaigning in Puerto Rico before the island territory's June 1 primary. It could be one of her last chances to boost her popular vote total.
For Clinton, it's a family affair - with both husband Bill and daughter Chelsea making the rounds.
"Chelsea and I and Hillary have now been to 42 of Puerto Rico's municipalities campaigning for the votes of the people of Puerto Rico," Bill Clinton said Thursday.
"She represents more Puerto Ricans than anyone in the world except someone who is elected here. Send the message back to the mainland on Sunday that Puerto Rico deserves to be considered and its potential is unlimited if only you had a genuine partner in the White House," he added.
She's counting on a strong showing on Sunday. With 55 delegates up for grabs Tuesday, it's the last big prize before the primaries end.
NEW YORK (CNN) – Former presidential rival turned supporter Bill Richardson will campaign this week for Barack Obama in Puerto Rico, 10 days before the Commonwealth holds its Democratic primary, a Richardson aide tells CNN.
Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and former Cabinet official, is one of the most prominent Hispanic politicians in the nation. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary.
While Richardson served in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, he chose to endorse Obama over Hillary Clinton in late March. Hillary Clinton has performed better than Obama with Hispanic voters, although the latest Gallup tracking poll suggests that the Illinois senator has erased his disadvantage with that key voting bloc.
Richardson will visit the Commonwealth on Thursday.
Fifty-five pledged delegates are at stake June 1 when Puerto Rico Democrats head to the polls.
CNN will have exclusive poll data from the Puerto Rico primary.
(CNN) – CNN has learned that former first daughter Chelsea Clinton will be campaigning for her mother in Puerto Rico Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Clinton campaign's admission that it is currently $20 million in debt and among increased talk by political pundits about when and how Sen. Hillary Clinton will exit the race and concede the Democratic presidential nomination to Sen. Barack Obama.
Puerto Rico holds its presidential primaries on June 1 so the decision to send Chelsea Clinton to the island appears to signal her mother's intention to remain in the race at least until early next month.
In her efforts to help her mother, Chelsea Clinton has lucked out by getting assigned to campaign in not one, but two tropical locales. The younger Clinton previously campaigned in Hawaii prior to that state's Democratic caucuses in February and this week's trip will be her second to Puerto Rico on her mother's behalf.
(CNN) – Puerto Rico’s primary date has officially been switched to Sunday, June 1, making Montana and South Dakota’s June 3 primaries the year’s final Democratic presidential nominating contests.
The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws committee approved Puerto Rico’s revised delegate selection plan on Monday afternoon. The territory was previously scheduled to hold caucuses on June 7, but Puerto Rico Democratic Party officials said that the June 7 date listed on its original plan was the result of a typo.
Under Puerto Rico law, the event must be held on the first Sunday in June, but the original plan mistakenly listed the June 7 date, which is the first Sunday in June 2009, not 2008.
Puerto Rico Democrats originally planned to hold caucuses, not anticipating that the Democratic presidential race would continue to be competitive into June. According to Puerto Rico party officials, the change was made to a primary to improve voter turnout and also to minimize any voting confusion that may stem from the caucus process.
The last competitive Democratic primary in Puerto Rico was in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter narrowly edged Sen. Ted Kennedy.
There are 55 delegates at stake in Puerto Rico - 36 district-level delegates will be elected at the June 1 primary; another 19 statewide delegates will be chosen at the state convention on June 21, but that selection will be based on the June 1 primary results. The territory also has 8 superdelegates.
Puerto Rico has more delegates at stake at its primary than 34 other states and territories, making it one of the biggest prizes of the remaining 10 contests.
The Rules and Bylaws Committee also approved some procedural modifications to the Guam caucuses, scheduled for May 3, but no substantive changes were made.
(CNN) – The Democratic Party of Puerto Rico has submitted a revised plan to the Democratic National Committee that would move its presidential nomination contest from June 7 to June 1.
The proposed plan would also change the contest from caucuses to a primary.
“This is an important mark in the political history of Puerto Rico,” said Roberto Prats, the territory’s Democratic party chairman, according to an account in the Spanish-language paper El Nuevo Dia.
The move would not become official until the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee approves the new plan after a 30-day comment period.
If approved, the shift would make the Montana and South Dakota primaries on June 3 the final Democratic contests of the 2008 primary season, if Michigan and Florida do not hold repeat votes after that date.
A DNC spokeswoman confirms to CNN that the party has received the revised plan, and that the date change is likely to be approved, though official action won’t be taken for at least a month.
There are 55 pledged delegates at stake in Puerto Rico, and 8 superdelegates. Puerto Rico Republicans held their presidential nominating contest on February 24.
From CNN Politics
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