While Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first woman president, and Obama battled it out, one of their former Democratic rivals, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, was worried that the fight might continue past Tuesday.
"The concern that I have is the bickering that took place between those two very fine senators is going on too long," Richardson, who bowed out of the Democratic race early last month, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program.
Richardson has been the object of attention from both camps since he dropped out because, as one of the top Hispanic office holders in the United States, he could have impact with Hispanic voters, especially in Texas on Tuesday.
Many Democrats fear a prolonged battle would divide the party and give a boost to McCain, who will have time to establish his candidacy.
"We have to have a positive campaign after Tuesday," Richardson said. "Whoever has the most delegates after Tuesday, a clear lead, should be, in my judgment, the nominee."
But Tuesday was two days off and the candidates were going full speed across Ohio stressing their campaign themes - Clinton stressing her experience against what she describes as her opponent's vacant rhetoric, while Obama touted his judgment and new outlook versus her commitment to status-quo politics.
Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of the state capital of Columbus that once was home to the Anti-Saloon League, became an unlikely political ground zero on Sunday with Clinton appearing in the morning and Obama later in the day.
Mocking Obama as just a speech-maker and not a person of action, Clinton told a rally, "I've given a lot of speeches in my life, probably, I don't know, hundreds of thousands. Sometimes I finish a speech and people come up to me and say, 'Oh that was so inspiring and wonderful and it made me feel so good.'"
"I say, well that's great. But that's just words. Our job is to make a difference," she said.
