One week ago this region and the entire state of Pennsylvania was filled to the brim with satellite trucks and national media pundits covering the crucial Democratic primary. Now, after the dust has settled and the media caravan has departed for North Carolina and Indiana respectively, Sen. Hillary Clinton notched a 10-percentage point victory over Sen. Barack Obama in the Keystone State last Tuesday.
“The tide is turning,” Clinton said in Philadelphia, following her victory. “I won that double-digit victory that everybody on TV said I had to win,”
While Clinton’s victory in the popular vote has sparked her campaign moving into the next two primary contests, she still trails in the ever important delegate count.
Clinton netted 83 of Pa’s 158 delegates tied to the popular vote in the primary, but still trails Obama by a margin of 1,724 to 1,589.
Clinton still holds the lead in terms of Superdelegates, who could sway the election at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Clinton leads 256 to 233 in this category which now includes both Pa. Governer Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in her corner.
In Pennsylvania, Clinton managed to claim victory in 162 of the state’s 167 counties. Obama, though, carried Philadelphia and it’s surrounding suburbs including both Delaware and Chester Counties.
As has been the case throughout much of the primary season, Obama carried the male vote and had a strong showing amongst voters under the age of 44. 51 percent of men voted for Obama, while Clinton garnered 59 percent of the female populas.
Obama became a lightning rod for controversy when he stated that Central Pennsylviana voters are bitter and cling to guns and religion, which pundits said had an effect on the vote, leading to Hillary’s double digit victories in most counties in that region. Clinton however, struggled to win over voters in urban southeastern Pennsylvania.
Nationally, Obama remains the frontrunner in the race, but by a narrowing margin.
According to the latest Gallup Poll released on April 24, the Illinois senator leads Clinton, 49 percent to 44 percent amongst Democrats.
Next up, the candidates will spar in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6.
The American Research Group has Clinton leading Obama 53 percent to 44 percent in Indiana, while Obama is ahead of Clinton 52 percent to 41 percent in North Carolina.
Matt Lombardo is a third-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at ML606516@wcupa.edu