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Posted: April 16, 2008 6:00 PM
Clinton, Obama to Debate in Philly as Pa. Vote Looms
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With less than a week to go before Pennsylvanians cast their primary votes, Democratic contenders Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama will face off in an ABC News-sponsored debate Wednesday night in Philadelphia.

The debate, moderated by ABC correspondents George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson, will likely feature pressing questions for Keystone State voters — namely the economy, the environment and immigration policy.

Clinton enjoyed an early lead in Pennsylvania polls following her wins in Ohio and Texas on March 4, but Obama has recently been closing in on the New York senator, polls show.

A RealClearPolitics.com polling average has Clinton with a 48.6 percent lead over Obama’s 41.9 percent.

The debate, being held at the National Constitution Center, will be the first direct forum for the candidates in nearly two months. They last debated at the end of February in preparation for the March contests.

The candidates will likely field questions on the their plans for the struggling Pennsylvania economy, where agriculture is the number one industry, as well as on Obama’s bitter-gate — or the controversy surrounding comments he recently made in San Francisco about small-town voters.

Following Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary, another debate is scheduled for April 27 in North Carolina ahead of the Indiana and Tar Heel State primaries, but Obama may be opting out of participation.

“Mr. Obama originally agreed to a debate on April 19 in the state, but that date fell through,” the New York Times reported.

“I’m always open to debates,” Obama told the Charlotte Observer “but I think that obviously we’ve got to structure our campaign so that we’re reaching as many voters as possible, and it’s not clear that the April 27 debate will work for our schedule.”

Originally, it was Clinton who was hesitant to commit to the North Carolina debate, and her delay drew criticism from the Obama campaign that she was ruling out the state.