US News Story

30 August 2008 04:20 BST

Clinton and Obama join forces at symbolic rally

Saturday, 28 Jun 2008 09:07

The two former rivals said they would unite to enable the Democrats to win in general elections later this year

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Former rival US presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have vowed to support each other ahead of elections later this year.

The two leading figures of the Democrats fought a hotly contested and often bitter campaign to become their party's nominee.

At a rally in the aptly-named town of Unity in New Hampshire the two former rivals joined forces, vowing to beat the rival Republican party in national elections later this year.

Speaking at the rally, Ms Clinton, who abandoned the race to become her party's nominee, told supporters that they were now united in their goal to win the US presidency.

She said: "Today we are coming together for the same goal - to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States.

"We have gone toe-to-toe in this hard-fought primary, but today and every day going forward we stand shoulder-to-shoulder for the ideals we share and the values we cherish," Ms Clinton added.

The African-American senator from Illinois also heaped praise on his female rival, saying that together they had broken down many conceptions about who can be the president of the US.

"We've made history together. We shattered barriers that have stood firm since the founding of this nation," he said.

If elected, Mr Obama would be the first black president while Ms Clinton would have been the country's first female president.

Mr Obama also had kind words for his former competitor and both he and his wife made the maximum contribution allowed to Ms Clinton's campaign, which is $10 million (£5 million) in debt.
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