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Politics

Ferraro Leaves Clinton Campaign

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

Shortly after our conversation with Senator Clinton one of her more prominent supporters had to give up her position on the Clinton campaign. Geraldine Ferraro is leaving her position on Clinton's finance committee. The former vice presidential candidate says she wants to tamp down news stories about a remark she made, though she's hardly saying she's sorry.

Ms. GERALDINE FERRARO (Former Vice Presidential Candidate): If anybody's going to - they should apologize to me for calling me a racist.

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MONTAGNE: She was talking to NBC about the Obama campaign, which questioned a statement she made. Ferraro said this week that Barack Obama would not be where he is today if he were white. And though she is stepping aside, Ferraro says Obama's campaign made too much of that statement.

Ms. FERRARO: I personally think that this is the last time that the Obama campaign is going to be able to play this type of a race card because I think that's what it is.

MONTAGNE: Obama himself dismissed Geraldine Ferraro's claims. He told reporters yesterday that her original remark was, quote, "wrongheaded." He said, "the notion that it is a great advantage to me to be an African-American named Barack Obama is not a view that has been commonly shared by the general public." Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.