April 23, 2008: Senator Hillary Clinton has emerged as the Projected Winner in the Pennsylvania Democratic Presidential Primary-April 22. She secured 55% of the popular votes, ahead of her nearest rival Illinois Senator Barack Obama by a margin of 10%. The delegate distribution is yet to be finalized, and it will follow the complicated process of Democratic Proportional representation. However, Clinton has secured the support of 52 delegates as compared to 46 delegates secured by Sen. Obama till the latest reports have come in. Pennsylvania has a total strength of 187 delegates, with 158 tied for the April 22 Primary.
Women accounted for 59% of the total electoral strength of the state. 37% voters were between 45 and 59 years of age. There was a high percentage of senior voters as well, with 32% of the electoral strength being 60 and above. Clinton's win is largely credited to her popularity among the white working class and the women sections of the voters from the state.
Senator Clinton was the favorite to win the the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary prior to the polls, because of the high percentage of white working class population the state. Pennsylvania presented a must-win situation for Clinton, and the win here will help her to stay in the nomination race. More importantly, it will enable her to convince the superdelegates regarding her capability to carry the majority of white working class votes and big states that have substantial delegate counts.
Superdelegates are expected to play a crucial role in the Democratic National Convention, as none of the candidates are speculated to reach the magic number with pledged delegates. The win, albeit a narrow one, is therefore a crucial one for Clinton.
