Politics Unusual In Pennsylvania

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(Net the Truth Online)

In the state, it's politics unusual for Clinton, Obama
By Mike Wereschagin
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, March 16, 2008
...The hard-fought Democratic primary contest is just beginning to touch Pennsylvania, as Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama try to win the state's 187 delegates. No primary after Pennsylvania's, on April 22, offers as many delegates.

The battleground isn't an even one, political analysts say. Pennsylvania's long history, complex geography and mix of major cities and rural hamlets give each candidate advantages in some places, obstacles in others.

Polls show Clinton with a double-digit lead, and she is expected to win the state. Obama, however, once trailed Clinton by similar margins in national polls, and now leads the race for national convention delegates.

Unlike some Republican primaries, Democratic primaries and caucuses allocate delegates through often-complex formulas based on the percentage of the vote each candidate gets. In Pennsylvania, certain congressional districts are weighted to give more delegates to places that turn out more Democratic votes in general elections.

Areas coveted by the candidates include Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; the string of smaller cities, from Allentown to Easton; the Scranton-Wilkes Barre region; and the conservative Pennsylvania Dutch country in Lancaster and York counties. Each has unique demographics and economic needs.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/state/s_557474.html