Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s victories in the primaries on Tuesday barely dented Senator Barack Obama’s lead in delegates, but they seemed to slow the Democratic Party establishment’s move in his direction while giving her campaign time to try to turn the race in her favor. Mrs. Clinton’s victories in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island cut into Mr. Obama’s delegate lead by 15 delegates at most, and by as few as 5, depending on the final accounting in Texas, which was expected Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Obama now has 1,299 delegates, compared with 1,180 for Mrs. Clinton, based on a count of pledged and projected delegates prepared by The New York Times. A candidate needs 2,025 to claim the nomination, a figure that neither Mrs. Clinton nor Mr. Obama can reach without the votes of so-called superdelegates — party officials and elected Democrats who are awarded automatic seats.
Both campaigns maneuvered for advantage on Wednesday after Mrs. Clinton’s strong showing, and they prepared for the next big showdown, in Pennsylvania, where the political demographics and issues are similar to those in Ohio. Mr. Obama said he planned to be more aggressive in going after Mrs. Clinton in response to her attacks, setting the groundwork for a tough competition that made some Democrats nervous that the party would bloody itself.
The Clinton campaign suggested it would press on with its efforts to claim delegates from Florida and Michigan, two states where she won primaries that were held in defiance of the Democratic National Committee’s approved calendar and where neither candidate campaigned actively. Mr. Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan.