Voters in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania cast their ballots Tuesday in a primary critical to the Democratic presidential nomination race.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) and close at 8 p.m. (0000 GMT Wednesday).
Most political analysts agree that a victory in the primary is more crucial for Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.
Sen. Barrack Obama of Illinois leads in delegates, the popular vote and states won so far this primary season.
If Clinton wins at the end of the day, it would allow her to make a small dent in Obama's lead, and more.
"If Clinton wins by more than 10 points, which was her margin in neighboring Ohio and New Jersey, her campaign will have new momentum and she will soldier on," said Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst.
"If Clinton wins by single digits, we're in a political twilight zone. Nothing changes," Schneider said.
On the eve of the primary, a CNN poll of polls, which averages the three latest surveys in Pennsylvania, placed Clinton ahead of Obama by seven points, 50 percent to 43 percent, with 7 percent undecided.
But if Obama scores a win, "Clinton will face tremendous pressure to end her campaign rather than damage the party," said Schneider.
To secure the nomination, either candidate needs to grab 2,024 delegates.
At present, Obama leads Clinton in delegate tally 1,648 to 1,504 and neither of them is likely to get enough numbers very soon.
There are 158 delegates at stake in the Pa. primary.
Source:Xinhua
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