Obama and Clinton near finish line in Democratic race

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton neared the finish line of their dramatic Democratic presidential duel on Monday, with Obama poised to claim the nomination as Clinton faced the possible end of her bid.

Campaigning before the final two nominating contests in Montana and South Dakota, Obama promised to unify the party for the November election against Republican John McCain and said he and Clinton would be able to come together.

"Senator Clinton has run an outstanding race, she is an outstanding public servant, and she and I will be working together in November," Obama, an Illinois senator, said during a campaign stop in Troy, Michigan.

Obama said he told Clinton in a phone conversation on Sunday that "once the dust settled I was looking forward to meeting with her at a time and place of her choosing."

Clinton made a final campaign visit to South Dakota before she returns to New York on Tuesday for a rally that could be her farewell to a race she entered as a heavy favorite but now has almost no chance of winning.

Obama is fewer than 40 delegates shy of the 2,118 needed to clinch the win, and could reach the number quickly with help from some of the approximately 180 uncommitted superdelegates -- party officials who can back any candidate at the August nominating convention in Denver.

Obama gained seven more superdelegates on Monday, but the slow trickle of endorsements could turn into a flood as the voting ends in Montana and South Dakota, which have a combined 31 delegates at stake.

Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives and the top-ranking black member of Congress, was among the superdelegates to back Obama on Monday.

A group of 17 uncommitted Senate Democrats met on Monday to discuss a potential endorsement of Obama. Many are poised to announce either on Tuesday, helping Obama lock up the nomination after the final contests, or wait another day to give Clinton a chance to bow out, Senate aides said.

"There are a lot of superdelegates who are waiting for the last couple of contests but I think that they are going to be making decisions fairly quickly after that," Obama told reporters in Michigan.

"My sense is that between Tuesday and Wednesday that we've got a good chance of getting the number that we need to win the nomination," he said.

Voting ends in South Dakota at 7 p.m. MDT/9 p.m. EDT, and in Montana an hour later, with results expected shortly after.

STAYING IN THE RACE

Campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee told reporters Clinton had no plans to pull out of the race on Tuesday night, and Clinton said she would be making her case to superdelegates that she is the strongest candidate to beat McCain in November.

"The decision will fall to the delegates empowered to vote at the Democratic convention. I will be spending the coming days making my case to those delegates," Clinton told supporters in Yankton, South Dakota.