By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

Posted May 19, 2008 – On Sunday Sen. Barack Obama appeared at a campaign rally in Portland, Oregon and was greeted by a sea of folks estimated at topping 75,000.  “Wow!  Wow! Wow!” Were the first words from the senator’s mouth when he witnessed the sea of folks gathered to greet him.

This has to be one of the largest crowds any presidential candidate has mustered in one spot for one rally.  And it literally took “by land and by sea”  to make it possible.  Those folks wanting a glimpse of the 46 year-old candidate, his wife Michelle and their two daughters, filled the Waterfront Park as well as the nearby Willamette River that boarded the park.  From their small boats and water crafts they waited and watched to hear his speech.  

Obama is no stranger to big crowds, he’s been setting records throughout the campaign.  But this one far exceeds the 20,000 folks who filled a stadium in South Carolina when he and his wife appeared with Oprah Winfrey; and surpasses what was his largest crowd to date, 35,000 people who gathered in downtown Philadelphia on the Independence Mall. 

On Tuesday the next primary contests will take place in Oregon and Kentucky. While Obama has traveled to campaign in both states this past weekend, his rival for the nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton focused more of her time in Kentucky. Playing to much smaller crowds in intimate setting, her campaign is confident she’ll do well in the Bluegrass State.

Clinton encouraged voters she spoke to in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to turn out and send the message that this campaign isn’t over.  Reminding those gathered she’ll be ready for the job on day one, but also acknowledging she’s “running for the toughest job in the world.”

  But her prospects of landing the job are also tough.  During her four day campaign swing through Kentucky Clinton touted leading her rival in the popular vote, but her figures include the votes from Michigan and Florida. Those two states are not included in the Democratic National Committee’s official count, and delegate count, not popular vote determines who secures the nomination,

So Tuesday’s primaries like all the remaining contest will only have one result; bring the contest closer to its end on June 3.  

Obama has decided to wait for Tuesday night’s results from Oregon and Kentucky in Iowa, where he got his first primary win.   “We thought it was a terrific way to kind of bring things full circle. We still have some contests left, but if Kentucky and Oregon go as we hope, then we think we will have a majority of pledged delegates at that point, and that’s a pretty significant mark.”

It sounds like he’s moved on to the general election. 

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