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While chatting briefly with reporters as she flew to South Dakota, Clinton stuck to small talk, like describing the deer she occasionally sees outside her Washington home. She refused to comment on Edwards' endorsement. Both she and Obama had sought his backing.

Later, in Rapid City, she said she had a ''great deal of respect'' for Edwards.

''He and I have a lot in common ... I imagine that Senator Edwards' endorsement will be of some help to Senator Obama in Kentucky, but I think that what matters are the people who actually vote,'' Clinton said before heading to California for a fundraiser.

Clinton said she had not spoken with Edwards but had spoken with his wife, Elizabeth, about the endorsement. She declined to discuss their conversation.

The former first lady has maintained that her West Virginia triumph over Obama bolsters her argument that she would be the stronger nominee to face McCain in key states in the fall.

Left with an increasingly unrealistic mathematical path to the nomination, Clinton has turned to philosophical arguments in an attempt to appeal to the party leaders and elected officials, known as superdelegates, whose support will likely determine the nominee.

Suffering from money woes of more than $20 million in debt and trailing Obama in fundraising power, Clinton met with her finance team and top fundraisers at her Washington home on Wednesday to rally her forces. The message to the group was to remind them that she now has the lead in votes cast thus far throughout the primary season.

Her campaign continues to site a total, however, that includes results from the Florida and Michigan contests that the national Democratic Party has not recognized.

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Associated Press writer Roger Alford in Louisville, Ky., contributed to this report.

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