So says Canada.com:
In particular, her campaign maintains Obama’s difficulties wooing lower middle class voters in the U.S. heartland – the culturally conservative working class Americans known in the past as ‘Reagan Democrats’ – bodes ills for a November showdown against Republican Senator John McCain.
“In order for a Democrat to win, he or she has to be able to do well with those kinds of non-college-educated voters who feel very comfortable moving from one side to the other,” said Phil Singer, Clinton’s communications director.
But while Obama seemingly faces long odds in Pennsylvania, Clinton still has the more difficult path to the nomination, even if she wins today.
Obama has so far accumulated an estimated 1,648 of the 2,024 delegates needed to become the Democratic nominee, compared to 1,508 for Clinton.
An Associated Press analysis of the Democratic race found Obama will likely be within 100 ‘pledged’ delegates of clinching the nomination after the final Democratic primaries on June 3. There are 158 pledged delegates up for grabs in Pennsylvania.
Clinton still narrowly leads Obama in endorsements from Democratic superdelegates, an estimated 256 to 233. But there’s been little evidence the remaining undecided voters in this elite group of lawmakers and party officials have been swayed by the questions of Obama’s electability and character.
Despite the recent controversies engulfing Obama’s campaign – including the tempest over racist remarks by his former pastor – the Illinois senator has won the endorsement of 80 superdelegates since Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, compared to just five who have declared support for Clinton.
Clinton aide Geoff Garin dismissed as “ridiculous” a reporter’s suggestion Monday that the former first lady must win by at least 20 points to maintain credibility in the race.
But by one measure – the Democratic popular vote – Clinton needs that sort of record margin in Pennsylvania and almost every other remaining primary to close the gap on Obama. She currently trails Obama by 717,000 votes throughout the nominating contests held since January.
“Pennsylvania is absolutely essential for Hillary,” says Miller.