Denver and Beyond

Pennsylvania is getting a lot of attention this election year, and not because of The Office.

While it's the birthplace of newly-minted Obama running mate Sen. Joe Biden, and also an integral part of Sen. Hillary Clinton's childhood story, Pennsylvania is also a key battleground symbol. But it's Philadelphia, not Scranton, that's making waves in Patchwork Nation's analysis of cities and how they are voting.

As Hillary Clinton urged unity in her address to the convention, it's places like Pennsylvania that will prove whether her words rang true.

In our weekly update from Patchwork Nation's Dante Chinni, we get a look into the Democrats' strategy in the state.

In Pennsylvania's 170th State House district, a place that the Democrats' John Kerry won by nine points in 2004, Senator Obama and McCain are tied at 42 percent each, according to a poll done for Brendan Boyle, a Patchwork Nation correspondent who is running for the seat there.

 

The district, mostly in Philadelphia but cutting into Montgomery County, is full of older ethnic whites. Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary vote there by an enormous margin - 75 percent to 25 percent.

 

The question going forward here in Denver is in large part about places like northern Philly. If the final tally in the state this November is as close as it has been in recent presidential races, a big turnout for Obama in the city will be critical.

 

The same is true in other big cities around the country (places we categorize as "Industrial Metropolis") where the state vote could be close - Cleveland, Milwaukee, and, yes, Denver. There is little question Obama will win those Industrial Metros and win them big, but how big?