Clinton speaks at 1 p.m.

By The Standard News Services - 05/30/2008

HELENA (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton will speak at 1 p.m. Sunday in the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Courthouse in Anaconda, campaigning for his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton’s bid for U.S. president.

His Anaconda visit is part of a swing through Western Montana on Sunday.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign said the former president will also speak at Stevensville High School at 9:15 a.m., at Paris Gibson School in Great Falls at 3:45 p.m. and at Capital High School in Helena at 6:45 p.m.

It’s Bill Clinton’s fifth campaign trip to the state.

Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign is airing its first Montana television advertisement with less than a week before the state’s Tuesday primary.

The Barack Obama campaign has been airing different advertisements in the state for a month.

The new Clinton ad touts her vote against the Bush administration energy plan and her universal health care plan.

“I intend to be a president who stands up for all of you,” Clinton says in the advertisement.

The race in Montana continues to heat up, even though most observers say Obama appears to just about have the nomination wrapped up.

Obama is scheduled to speak at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls at 5:45 p.m. Friday, his third campaign trip to Montana.

Montana’s primary is June 3, the last in the nation along with South Dakota’s.

At stake in Montana are 16 pledged delegates and eight superdelegates, three of whom are committed to Obama while a fourth was forced to retract her Obama endorsement due to party rules. The pledged delegates will be awarded to each candidate based on the proportion of the vote they receive.