Obama camp stresses independent appeal

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- Despite a stinging defeat in the West Virginia Democratic Party primary, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is stressing his appeal to independent voters.

In a post-election memo released Tuesday after losing the state's primary to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., campaign officials for Obama, D-Ill., attempted to shift the focus from his poor showing among West Virginia's white voters to his perceived strength among the nation's independent voters, the Politico.com, a Wahsington publication, said.

"Nationally, Obama is running stronger among Independent voters than any winning presidential candidate since 1988 and is significantly outperforming Sen. Clinton among these voters as well in general election polling," the Web site reported the memo saying, adding that it also dismissed as "a myth" the view that Obama's poor showing in Tuesday's primary highlighted a weakness among white voters.

Obama "is running as well or better than past Democratic candidates among white voters," Politico.com reported memo saying.