WASHINGTON — Close to securing the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama lavished attention on Florida and its wreckage of a presidential primary while minding his manners with Hillary Rodham Clinton — a rival he now can afford to praise.

Obama detoured Wednesday from the campaign for the three remaining primaries — Puerto Rico, Montana, South Dakota — to rally in a state where its renegade primary was disallowed.

“It is good to be back in Florida. It’s good to be back. I know you guys have been holding down the fort,’’ Obama told supporters at a Tampa, Fla., rally.

Clinton, too, was in Florida, pressing to narrow her gap with Obama by having delegates counted from its contest in January.

The former first lady told supporters in Florida that they “learned the hard way what happens when your votes aren’t counted and the candidate with fewer votes is declared the winner,’’ a reference to the state’s disputed presidential vote that gave George W. Bush the White House. “The lesson of 2000 here in Florida is crystal clear: If any votes aren’t counted, the will of the people isn’t realized and our democracy is diminished.’’

The Illinois senator was just 64 delegates short of the 2,026 needed to clinch the nomination, after two superdelegate endorsements Wednesday and a pair of primaries the night before. Clinton thrashed him in Kentucky; he answered by winning Oregon.

Obama also secured a majority of the pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses across the country — a milestone that could help him persuade more superdelegates to endorse him.

Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Dowdy and Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district voted for Clinton in the state’s Feb. 5 primary won by Obama, padded the Illinois senator’s lead with superdelegates by declaring their support. Superdelegates are party insiders who are not tied to the outcome of state contests.

Obama picked up another big labor endorsement, from the United Mine Workers of America.

Clinton gained a superdelegate, too — Craig Bashein of Ohio.

Although Obama won most groups of voters in Oregon, other recent primaries including Kentucky’s have been polarizing, with large numbers of his supporters and Clinton’s digging in behind their candidate and saying they would not vote for the other one in the fall campaign against Republican John McCain.

“If that holds true, then it is a problem,’’ said former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart, who experienced devastating party divisions as Democrat George McGovern’s campaign manager in 1972. “But I don’t think that’s going to hold true.’’

Speaking Wednesday on CNN, he said Obama is right to have turned recently to unifying the party and “he has already, wisely, I think, begun the fall campaign.’’

McCain addressed an enthusiastic crowd in Miami on Tuesday, Cuba’s independence day, and pledged to hold firm against normal trade relations with Cuba until that country honors basic freedoms.

He criticized Obama for saying he would meet President Raul Castro, called the Democrat a “tool of organized labor’’ for opposing a Latin American trade deal and said his opponent had advocated lifting the trade embargo before shifting his position to say he would merely ease it.

The morning talk shows were barren of the usual candidates or aides trumpeting the previous night’s triumph or explaining away a loss, one sign that the rhetoric of the competition is ratcheting down on both sides despite the trio of primaries to come.

Indeed, Obama is now abundant in his praise of a Democratic rival who engaged him fiercely and often bitterly over six months. In his Iowa rally Tuesday night, the man close to becoming the first black Democratic presidential candidate paid tribute to Clinton’s historic effort to become the first female president, saying she “has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and your daughters will come of age, and for that we are grateful to her.’’

Democratic rule-makers meet at the end of this month to decide whether to count delegates from Florida and Michigan; the states were striped of their delegates as punishment for holding early primaries. Clinton won both states but Obama had his name kept off the Michigan ballot and neither candidate campaigned in those states.

With 94 percent of the vote counted in Oregon, Obama was winning by a 59-41 percent margin. Clinton scored a 35-point win in Kentucky after trouncing him by 41 points in West Virginia last week.

Obama won Oregon with the support of men and young people, but also found plenty of votes from blue-collar workers who have the staple of Clinton victories in other states, according to surveys of voters. As a group, only those making less than $30,000 a year and those over 65 favored Clinton. Women were evenly divided between Obama and Clinton, but men voted for Obama 2-to-1.

Altogether, Obama scored a solid win in a heavily white state, a rare achievement in recent races in which blue-collar whites have powered his rival.

In Kentucky, Clinton won two-thirds of women and nearly as many men — altogether, seven in 10 whites, who made up nearly 90 percent of the electorate, exit polls indicated. Clinton prevailed among all age, income and education categories, with particularly large margins among lower-earning and less educated voters.

As he closes in on the Democratic prize, Obama has been concentrating his campaign more and more on McCain rather than on Clinton.

But Clinton insists she still sees a path to the prize by winning over superdelegates, whose support will be needed for either candidate to be clinch the nomination.

Clinton won at least 56 delegates from Kentucky and Oregon and Obama won at least 43, according to an analysis of election returns by The Associated Press. All 51 delegates from Kentucky were awarded but there were still four of 52 to be allocated in Oregon.

Obama has an overall total of 1,962 delegates, including endorsements from superdelegates. Clinton has 1,779, including superdelegates, according to the latest tally by the AP.

Oregon men give Obama huge victory over Clinton

By WILLIAM McCALL and BRAD CAIN
Associated Press Writers

PORTLAND — Barack Obama won a huge victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Oregon primary, mostly with the support of men and younger voters.

But the Illinois senator also found plenty of votes among blue-collar workers who had been the staple of Clinton victories in other states, and among those who said that change was more important than experience in a candidate.

Only the working poor making less than $30,000 a year and those over 65 supported Clinton.

Obama had 58 percent of the vote to 42 percent for Clinton with 88 percent of the expected vote counted.

It was widely considered one of the most exciting primary races in Oregon in 40 years, and one that drew record participation among Oregon’s Democratic voters. A total of 52 convention delegates were at stake in the Oregon primary.

“I don’t remember a race like this one. It was so clear that this was a remarkable candidate at exactly the right time in American history,’’ said former Gov. Barbara Roberts, a key Obama supporter.

Women were evenly divided between Obama and Clinton, but men voted for Obama 2-to-1, dooming Clinton’s bid even without the strong support Obama received across nearly all age, income and education categories.

A poll of Oregon voters as they were casting their ballots by mail showed the youngest age group, 18 to 24, voted 3-to-1 for Obama while those who said it was their first time voting in a primary supported him 2-to-1.

The poll also showed about half of Oregon voters said the ability to bring about political change was the single most important quality in making a decision, and four out of five of them voted for Obama.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic superdelegate backing Obama, was jubilant at a Tuesday night victory party.

“People are ready for change, and they understand that Barack Obama is ready to go,’’ Blumenauer said. “He is the guy who can do it, and people in Oregon are ready to help.’’

By comparison, only about one in five voters said experience was the most important factor, a campaign theme for Clinton.

Blumenauer noted that Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, “had practically lived in Oregon for the past month,’’ making dozens of campaign stops.

Although Clinton fared better in rural counties, the overwhelming victory for Obama was not confined to the liberal center of the state and its major cities.

Clinton had her strongest showing in Eastern Oregon, in Umatilla and Morrow counties, despite an appearance Obama made in Pendleton just before the election.

But Obama appeared to have a solid margin of victory in two other Eastern Oregon counties, Wallowa and Union.

The margin of victory was thin for Clinton in other traditionally conservative counties, including Douglas County, where Obama got a warm reception last weekend in Roseburg on his final campaign swing through state.

Clinton won Coos County on the southern Oregon coast, but Obama was narrowly ahead in neighboring Curry County, and Curry’s inland neighbor, Josephine County.

The growing support for Obama in Oregon was clear by last Sunday when more than 70,000 people gathered on Portland’s waterfront for an Obama rally.

On a visit in March, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, once an ally of the Clintons, endorsed Obama as “a once-in-a-lifetime leader.’’ That was at a rally that drew 12,000. Later that day, Obama drew 9,000 at the University of Oregon.

By contrast, Clinton’s three visits produced crowds that generally numbered in the hundreds, and last week she canceled planned stops and stayed in Kentucky.

The mood at Hillary Clinton’s headquarters was subdued Tuesday, with supporters not surprised by results that had been predicted by pollsters.

Josh Kardon, chairman of Clinton’s Oregon campaign, said he didn’t think the protracted battle between Obama and Clinton would hamper the Democrats’ chances of defeating Sen. John McCain in November.

“The Democratic Party race won’t be hurt by too much democracy. Let’s let the people decide, and we’ll be fine in the fall,’’ Kardon said.

Mine Workers union endorses Obama for president

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
AP Labor Writer

WASHINGTON — The United Mine Workers of America endorsed Barack Obama for president Wednesday despite his recent defeats in primaries in coal-producing states where many of the union’s members vote.

The endorsement continues organized labor’s swing over to the Democratic front-runner as the primaries wrap up. Obama lost heavily to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Tuesday’s Kentucky primary and last week’s West Virginia primary.

“Senator Obama shares the values of UMWA members and our families. He understands and will fight for the needs our members have today and the hopes our members have for a secure future for themselves and their families,’’ union president Cecil E. Roberts said.

The Mine Workers — along with the United Steelworkers union — had originally endorsed former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. However, Edwards dropped out of the race and threw his support to Obama last week and was immediately followed by the Steelworkers union.

Only one union that originally endorsed Edwards — the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners — has not subsequently endorsed Obama.

Obama and Clinton, have been courting unions and their blue-collar voters since Edwards dropped out of the race. The Mine Workers, however, was unanimous in picking Obama for its endorsement, Roberts said.

“Senator Obama will fight to preserve American jobs, not ship them overseas in greater and greater numbers,’’ Roberts said. “Senator Obama will make sure that the nation’s mine safety and health enforcement agency actually enforces the law, instead of coddling mine operators who repeatedly and willfully violate the law.’’

The Mine Workers union represents 105,000 active and retired coal miners, mine construction workers, public service employees, health care workers and manufacturing workers in the United States and Canada.

Mine Workers union endorses Obama for president

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
AP Labor Writer

WASHINGTON — The United Mine Workers of America endorsed Barack Obama for president Wednesday despite his recent defeats in primaries in coal-producing states where many of the union’s members vote.

The endorsement continues organized labor’s swing over to the Democratic front-runner as the primaries wrap up. Obama lost heavily to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Tuesday’s Kentucky primary and last week’s West Virginia primary.

“Senator Obama shares the values of UMWA members and our families. He understands and will fight for the needs our members have today and the hopes our members have for a secure future for themselves and their families,’’ union president Cecil E. Roberts said.

The Mine Workers — along with the United Steelworkers union — had originally endorsed former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. However, Edwards dropped out of the race and threw his support to Obama last week and was immediately followed by the Steelworkers union.

Only one union that originally endorsed Edwards — the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners — has not subsequently endorsed Obama.

Obama and Clinton, have been courting unions and their blue-collar voters since Edwards dropped out of the race. The Mine Workers, however, was unanimous in picking Obama for its endorsement, Roberts said.

“Senator Obama will fight to preserve American jobs, not ship them overseas in greater and greater numbers,’’ Roberts said. “Senator Obama will make sure that the nation’s mine safety and health enforcement agency actually enforces the law, instead of coddling mine operators who repeatedly and willfully violate the law.’’

The Mine Workers union represents 105,000 active and retired coal miners, mine construction workers, public service employees, health care workers and manufacturing workers in the United States and Canada.