RALEIGH, N.C. — Taking a break from recent verbal combat, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama both moved Friday night to ease concerns that their fight for the Democratic presidential nomination has become too divisive and could undercut voter turnout and support in November.
Speaking to a state Democratic rally here designed to promote party unity, the rivals delivered impassioned appeals to about 3,000 cheering party activists but largely ignored each other.
Clinton, who spoke first, mentioned Obama only at the start of her speech, promising that "if he is the nominee," she would gladly support him. "And if I am the nominee, I know he'll do the same," she added.
Obama soon returned the favor, vowing to support Clinton "in a heartbeat" if she wins the nomination, and saying he knows she would back him. "Our differences pale in comparison to our differences with the other party," he said.
The two senators appeared back to back at a Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in the J.S. Dorton Arena, on the state fairgrounds, a key political event before Tuesday's crucial North Carolina primary. Indiana also holds an important nominating contest that day.
With 115 delegates at stake, North Carolina is the largest state still to vote before the party convention in August. Although polls show the race here is tightening, Obama is widely favored to win because of his broad support in the state's large African American population.
Clinton added a town hall meeting and three get-out-the-vote rallies to her schedule for today, a sign that the New York senator's campaign still considers the state competitive.
Both candidates made a point of lavishly praising former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth. Edwards withdrew as a presidential candidate on Jan. 30 and has resisted pleas from both sides for an endorsement. A former senior aide said Edwards, a superdelegate in the party, is unlikely to endorse before next week.
Both candidates also lambasted Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, describing him as a virtual clone of President Bush. "We cannot afford four more years of George Bush's foreign policy," Obama said.
State officials predict a record Democratic turnout on Tuesday. New registration and early voting already are up sharply, according to Gary Bartlett, executive director of the state board of elections.
