Voters in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania cast their ballots Tuesday in a primary critical to the Democratic presidential nomination race.
Most political analysts agree that a victory in the primary is more crucial for Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York than for her rival, Sen. Barrack Obama of Illinois.
Politico, a Washington newspaper covering political events, suggests there are several things to watch in the primary.
First, check for turnout at 1 p.m. (1700 GMT).
By this point Tuesday, the campaigns should have a good sense of what kind of outcome to expect.
They will look first to Philadelphia, where a crush of voters early in the day will bode well for Obama and badly for Clinton since it will signal that he could win the big margin he needs to take out of the city.
Plus, African-Americans tend to go to the polls later in the day in Philadelphia, according to a city-based Democratic strategist, which means Obama can expect a late surge from voters who support him in disproportionately high numbers.
Second, don't be fooled by early results. The cities and suburbs usually report their returns first, which gives the candidate favored in those areas a quick -- and sometimes fleeting-- lead. The conservative-leaning small towns through the center of the state usually filter in much later in the evening.
This tendency has wreaked havoc in past elections: a Democrat goes to bed thinking he or she is the winner, but wakes up the loser.
So Obama could show a lead in the early results, but it might be short-lived. If Clinton is ahead at the start, she may never lose it.
Third, follow the undecided voters.
For weeks, the campaigns have been trying to convince a stubborn group of undecided voters -- an average of nine percent in polls released Monday -- to make up their minds.
Voters who decide late usually go with the candidate who represents something new, potentially giving the edge to Obama.
But in this Democratic primary season, voters who have decided in the last three days have more often broken in Clinton's favor.
Fourth, watch these towns and neighborhoods.
While the campaigns are reluctant to disclose the places they will be looking at, here are some key precincts, wards and towns that unaffiliated Pennsylvania political strategists say they will be monitoring.
Obama should be aiming for at least 55 percent turnout in African-American wards in Philadelphia, 60 percent in the upscale white neighborhoods of Center City Philadelphia, and 70 percent in Lower Merion, the wealthy Philadelphia suburb with large numbers of highly educated and increasingly liberal voters.
Clinton needs a strong turnout in Northeast Philadelphia, a string of largely white, blue collar neighborhoods, and in working-class Philadelphia suburbs such as Bensalem and Bristol.
Source:Xinhua
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