THE CARROLL NEWS: Clinton, Obama head to battle in Pennsylvania

Clinton, Obama head to battle in Pennsylvania
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Craig Willert on 13 March, 2008 01:22:00
 
The Democratic presidential race just got a little more intense and looks to
continue until at least the early spring. Aside from both candidates remaining
in a stalemate and fighting for every vote and delegate, they now have to
confront the issue of the Florida and Michigan primary problem.
Both Florida and Michigan were stripped of its delegates by the Democratic
National Committee when they moved their primary dates without approval from the
DNC.
With the race appearing to need every delegate, the issue of whether to have a
revote in both states comes to the forefront.
The individual states have begun to weigh the pros and cons having state-wide
revotes. The biggest problem for both the states is money, according to The
Associated Press.
According to John Carroll  University political science professor Larry Schwab,
“The leadership of the two states does not want to pay for it.”
Recent talk of a mail-in vote has gained traction in Florida, but where the
money is going to come from remains the biggest question. The two states need
money for the general elections against Sen. John McCain.
According to Schwab, “The party leadership would ideally want to say,
‘These are the rules. You broke the rules.’ In reality, they do not
want to offend the people in Michigan and Florida. They want to make this look
fair.”
A combined 313 delegates are at stake between Florida and Michigan, and both
candidates remain at different ends about a solution. According to The New York
Times, “David Plouffe, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, floated the
idea of allocating the delegates from the two states 50-50.”
The New York Times continued to state that this solution would give both states
and their delegates a chance to participate in the general elections.
With Clinton winning both primaries in Florida and Michigan, the campaign is
pushing for a revote. The New York senator received 50 percent of the vote in
Florida, opposed to Obama’s 33 percent, according to The New York Times.
The Illinois senator remained off the Michigan ballot, while Clinton received
55 percent of the vote. Forty percent of the vote went to
“uncommitted.”
The controversy over the two states weighs over the candidates as they prepare
for a battle in Pennsylvania. The April 22 primary, with 158 delegates at stake,
proves to be the next big clash.
A Rasmussen Democratic Pennsylvania primary poll conducted March 5 shows
Clinton with a substantial margin over Obama, 52-37 percent, with an additional
11 percent remaining “unsure.”
Although the primary offers a surplus amount of delegates to pick up, the race
will still remain too close to call. Schwab said, “With the votes assigned
proportionally, she [Clinton] will only pick up a few delegates. He [Obama] will
still have a hundred delegate lead.”
Victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island helped Clinton regain some momentum
back from Obama. A win in the Keystone State will only help strengthen Sen.
Clinton’s image, but it will not predict the winner of the Democratic
Party.
According to The New York Times, Sen. Obama currently has an estimated 1,500.5
delegates compared to Sen. Clinton’s 1,394.