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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Rumble in PA

After six weeks of intensive campaigning by both democratic candidates, the voters finally have their say as they go to the voting booths today.

The scenarios are literally all over the board - from a surprise Obama victory that would surely end the Clinton campaign to a double digit win by Clinton that would put momentum back on her side.

Politico has a good quick read "Five things to watch in Pennsylvania". The 158 delegates up for grabs today are the most by far of any of the remaining states in the democratic primary schedule. The proportional manner of awarding the delegates by both total vote and congressional district makes it difficult for either candidate to win substantially more delegates than the other.

A ten point win by Clinton may only result in a 15 delegate advantage. However, this large of a margin would allow the Clinton campaign to continue the argument that Obama can not win the big states. There would be even more pressure exerted on what to do about the disenfranchised voters from Michigan and Florida who have a combined 366 delegates. The 300 or so unpledged superdelegates might also feel no urge to make a quick declaration of support.

In just two weeks, Indiana (72 delegates) and North Carolina (115 delegates) hold their primaries. The polls show Obama with a strong 15 point lead in N.C. In Indiana, the polls are showing a very close race with Clinton up by a few points.

Now it's time for the voters to speak in Pennsylvania. We will be doing some live blogging as the results come in tonight.

Stay Tuned.

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