Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Hillary Clinton Takes Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania primary is now over and Hillary Clinton has been officially declared the winner by a margin of 10%. The Obama camp is not surprised by the win, it was actually expected. Their only concern was to narrow the margin of victory and they have done so significantly as Clinton started off with better than a 20% projected margin of victory at the start of campaigning.

Clinton commended Obama and his campaign, saying they are in many ways "on this journey together."

According to CNN.com, Clinton will pick up a majority of the state's 158 delegates.

But the win still leaves Obama ahead in the race to the Democrats' August convention in Denver, and he is likely to hold that lead unless "the wheels come off his wagon," said CNN analyst David Gergen, a former adviser to both Republican and Democratic candidates.

"He came up short, but it doesn't look like the wheels came off," Gergen said. "That's going to be her problem. I don't see her way to the nomination. The wheels aren't coming off the wagon unless there is some new, big revelation."

Despite her victory, the dynamics of the race are the same as they've been for more than two months. Obama remains the front-runner, and that gets more important the closer the campaign comes to the end of the primary season. "He's content to essentially run out the clock with his narrow lead, while she needs something dramatic to happen," said California-based Democratic consultant Dan Newman.

According to CNN's latest count, Obama leads in the delegate count -- 1,694 to 1,556. He also leads in the popular vote and the number of states won so far this primary season.

Obama congratulated Clinton on her win and looked ahead to the May 6 contests in North Carolina and Indiana.

Clinton now faces a dwindling number of contests, and she's at a steep financial disadvantage. To win, she needs to convince voters that Obama is not electable in November even though he's ahead in the delegate race.

She needs a big influx of cash.

She needs a stunning change of fortune.

Tracking Hurricane Gustav