Clinton replaces campaign manager in U.S. race

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) greets supporters after a town hall meeting at the Lewiston Memorial Armory in Lewiston, Maine, February 9, 2008.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House hopeful Hillary Clinton said on Sunday she has replaced her campaign manager with a long-time aide as she fights a tight race with Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Maggie Williams, a top aide to Clinton when her husband Bill Clinton was U.S. president, has taken over from Patti Solis Doyle as campaign manager.

Aides to Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first woman president, played down any notion that the staff change was a signal of trouble for her campaign.

Solis Doyle will move into the role of senior adviser to Clinton during the remaining state-by-state races for the Democratic nomination to contest the presidential election in November.

"Patti Solis Doyle has done an extraordinary job in getting us to this point," Clinton said in a statement. "I'm lucky to have Maggie on board and I know she will lead our campaign with great skill towards the nomination."

Clinton did not spell out why Solis Doyle was being replaced. The move comes as Obama, an Illinois senator, has picked up momentum in the race, raking in millions in campaign contributions and scoring wins in three states on Saturday.

Speaking of the decision to replace Solis Doyle, Clinton campaign spokesman Doug Hattaway said it was a change in "day-to-day management," but would not lead to a reshaping of Clinton's message.

"She's focused on the issues that affect people's lives, like the economy and health care," he said.

The race is "moving forward as expected," Hattaway said, playing down the significance of the losses against Obama on Saturday, saying the states were ones where the Illinois senator had been expected to do well.

Clinton and Obama, who would be the first black president, are about even in pledged delegates, but both are well short of the 2,025 needed to win the Democratic nomination.

Democrats held a nominating race in Maine on Sunday but the next big voting day comes on Tuesday, when Democrats and Republicans have contests in Washington, D.C., and neighboring states Virginia and Maryland.

Many analysts think Obama has strong advantages in those states. All three have a combination of large populations of African Americans as well as affluent white voters who have tended to favor the Illinois senator.

The Clinton campaign is hopeful of a strong showing in two large states that hold their primaries next month, Texas and Ohio.