Clinton vows to fight on, support party nominee

By Jeff Mason

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton on Tuesday vowed to continue her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination after a projected win in Indiana kept her hopes of beating front-runner Barack Obama alive.

The New York senator, flanked by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea, said she would support whomever wins the nomination, while vowing to press on after a definitive loss to the Illinois senator in North Carolina.

"I can assure you, as I have said on many occasions, that no matter what happens, I will work for the nominee of the Democratic Party, because we must win in November," she said.

The former first lady sounded a victory note despite signs that her win in Indiana would be narrow.

"Tonight it's your victory," she told a cheering crowd after CBS News projected that she had won the state's primary.

"Tonight we've come from behind. We've broken the tie and thanks to you, it's full speed on to the White House," she said.

Clinton turned her attention to the remaining contests.

"I'm going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month and I intend to win them in November," she said.

She appealed for financial support to keep her campaign going and said she had no intention of ending her race for the Democratic nomination to contest the presidential election in November.

Obama has a strong lead in the race for the party's nomination.

The New York senator, who would be the first woman U.S. president, needed a decisive win to counter Obama's growing lead and to answer critics who argue she has no chance of winning and should end her candidacy for the good of the party.

Clinton repeated her call for a resolution to a dilemma over primary elections in Florida and Michigan, which were disqualified for breaking party rules on timing.

"It would be a little strange to have a nominee chosen by 48 states," she said.

(Additional reporting by Joanne Allen and Chris Wilson; editing by Lori Santos)