Just hours after the dust settled from her 10th consecutive loss to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), embattled Democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) campaign said she will be in a position to “clinch the nomination” at about the time Puerto Rico votes.

Harold Ickes, a senior adviser to Clinton, said on a conference call with reporters that while the camp of the former first lady sees Obama as the frontrunner, the campaign continues to believe it will narrow the gap with the Illinois senator and pick up delegates in the coming weeks and months.

“We think that Mrs. Clinton will be able to get those and clinch the nomination about the time of Puerto Rico or shortly thereafter,” Ickes said.