What Democratic officials across the country fear is what Clinton will have to do to party rival Illinois Sen. Barack Obama -- who leads in pledged delegates and the popular vote -- to make that happen.

"I don't think she has no chance, but the route for her to victory is so bad for the Democratic Party -- it's to damage Obama so much that people feel he's not electable," said ABC News political contributor Matthew Dowd

One Democratic Party official called Clinton's strategy "The Tonya Harding Option" -- the idea that Clinton's only path to the gold medal is to destroy her leading competitor.