Apr
22
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4/22/2008 9:18 PM
Talking on Points on the Pennsylvania Results
April 23, 2008
- Last night, Hillary Clinton lost her last, best chance to make significant inroads in the pledged delegate count.
- The only surprising result from Pennsylvania is that Barack Obama was able to improve his standing among key voter groups since the Ohio primary.
- For example, among white voters, Obama narrowed the gap by six points. Among voters over 60, he nearly cut the gap in half, from 41 points to 24 points.
- Pennsylvania was considered a state tailor-made for Hillary Clinton, and all along she was expected to win. She has family roots in the state, which borders her own; she had the support of the Democratic establishment—including Governor Rendell’s extensive network—and former President Clinton remains very popular there. And Independent voters—the group that will decide the general election and a group Obama is particularly strong with—were not able to vote in the primary. Not surprisingly, Senator Clinton led by as much as 25 points in the weeks leading up to the election.
- How did Barack Obama substantially reduce that lead and gain support among key voters in the face of long odds and unrelenting negativity from Senator Clinton? By talking about his plans to stand up the special interests and bring people together so that we can change Washington to turn our economy around, make sure that every American has quality health care, and bring this misguided war to an end.
- As he has done in every state, Barack Obama campaigned hard to pick up as much support and as many delegates as possible.
- As NBC’s Chuck Todd said last night, “The pledged delegate count is basically over…it now appears like it’s going to be impossible for Obama to lose his lead.”
- You’ll be hearing a lot from the Clinton campaign about “big states” and their bearing on the general election. The fact of the matter is that Barack Obama has won more key battlegrounds—states like Missouri, Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Clinton points to her wins in states like California, New Jersey, and New York—but everyone agrees that those states will go Democratic in November no matter what.
- The bottom line is that the Pennsylvania outcome does not change dynamic of this lengthy primary. While there were 158 delegates at stake there, there are fully 157 up for grabs in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries on May 6.
- This is a race for delegates, as the Clinton campaign has repeatedly acknowledged, and we have always structured our strategy around picking up as many delegates possible. But even if we were to judge the race on the popular vote alone, we anticipate having a comfortable lead when voting in the last nine contests wraps up in June.
- Senator Obama will continue to gain strength with Democratic superdelegates. He will maintain his position as the best candidate to take on John McCain. And he will be ready to unite the American people and begin a new chapter in our history.
- We are already organizing vigorously in the remaining contests, opening local offices, canvassing, and engaging voters in this unprecedented campaign. We will have the financial resources we need to be competitive.
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