She will be battling to convince the unelected superdelegates - party elders with a free vote - that she has the best chance of winning the presidency.

She is likely to focus on issues such as Mr Barack Obama's relationship with his former pastor and his apparent inability to woo working class white voters.

In Indiana, for example, less than half her supporters said they would support her rival in a general election, while a third would vote Republican.

Neither candidate contested here after the states were stripped of their delegates for breaking party rules. Both agreed to honour the decision and Mr Obama kept his name off the Michigan ballot.

But Mrs Clinton, who won in both states, now says: 'Those were legitimate elections and they deserve to have those votes counted.'

She cannot win enough votes from the last six contests to secure the nomination, but a strong finish could help win over superdelegates.

Possibly her best hope is a huge blunder by Mr Obama forcing her party to turn back to her.

LOS ANGELES TIMES, NEW YORK TIMES, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE