Posted: April 2, 2008 1:25 PM
Clinton's Pa. Poll Lead Narrows, General Election Appeal Increases
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A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead over Democratic presidential rival Sen. Barack Obama narrowing slightly in Pennsylvania, the next major contest in the nomination race.
The poll, released Wednesday, shows Clinton leading Obama 50 to 41 percent in the Keystone State, a drop from her 53 to 41 percent lead in survey released March 18. On a more positive note for the Clinton campaign, however, the new poll shows the New York senator beating presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain in three swing states, where Obama has a weaker edge.
In Florida, the poll shows, Clinton has a 44 percent lead over McCain’s 42 percent, and McCain would beat Obama 46 to 37 percent. In a Clinton-McCain match-up in Ohio, she leads McCain 48 to 39 percent, while Obama holds only a one point lead with 43 percent to McCain’s 42. In Pennsylvania, Clinton tops the Arizona senator 48 to 40 percent, while Obama leads him 43 to 39 percent. “When it comes to November, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s strength is a big edge over Sen. Barack Obama among white voters, who have not given an majority of their votes to a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson in 1964,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the polling institute, told the Baltimore Sun. “At least for now, Sen. Clinton’s argument that she is the better general election candidate in these key battleground states appears to have some validity.”
General election appeal may play an important role for 330 or so super delegates who have yet to endorse either candidate, but will likely decide the outcome of the Democratic race.
Clinton’s might get another boost if delegates from Florida, which she won, are seated at the Democratic National Convention in August. Chairman Howard Dean said the party “is committed to making sure that we do everything in our power to seat a delegation from Florida,” the Associated Press reported.
Dean added that party discussions continue about seating delegates from Michigan, which — like Florida — was stripped of its delegates for breaking party rules and holding an early primary. He said it is critical that both candidates are “comfortable with the compromises that have to be worked out.”
Clinton and her husband stumped Wednesday in Pennsylvania and Indiana. She hosted an economic summit in Pittsburgh to hash out solutions on salvaging the U.S. economy and address economic issues specific to the state, which offers 158 Democratic delegates in its April 22 primary.
Campaigning for his wife, former president Bill Clinton visited voters throughout Indiana ahead of the state’s May 6 contest.
-- By , NewsHour with Jim Lehrer | Comments | Link
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It does appear that there is every reason for the campaign to continue.
Perhaps the best move by Barack Obama would be to accept both Michigan and Florida delegates in accordance with the results of the primaries in those States, where Senator Clinton will get her delegates based on her votes, and he will get all other delegates. That should be a fair compromise, and it will be a unifying move, and will not allow Senator Clinton to make the disenfranchisement argument.
And if those moves should cost Mr. Obama the delegate or the popular vote lead, then perhaps, he should acknowledge the will of the people. And if he does maintain the lead and become the eventual nominee, his move would definitely legitimize his win.
Allowing the Michigan and Florida votes to count will be the single most unifying move Barack Obama can make.