Matt, like most of the other Politirazzi and Obama himself, predicts a Clinton win but only a slim margin. (AP)
It looks like it’s coming right down to the wire, but I think Hillary Clinton will pull off a victory in Pennsylvania. The margin of victory will be slim, probably within 5 percent if I had to guess. If Clinton does in fact win, I think the story will be about her resiliency and about Barack Obama’s inability to put the final nail in Clinton’s coffin.
Despite the long odds she faces of catching Obama in popular votes, I find it quite interesting that Clinton has maintained such strong polling numbers in Pennsylvania. Particularly if her own polling numbers are to be believed, Pennsylvania voters do not care that Clinton faces a nearly insurmountable delegate deficit. Her comeback victory in what is an important presidential swing state will carry a broader message about the continued vitality and viability of her campaign, even if the delegate numbers remain in her opponent’s favor.
I must confess that as fan of neither of the Democratic nominees, I will enjoy the aftermath of a Clinton victory in Pennsylvania — perhaps renewed calls for meaningful Michigan and Florida primaries, added pressure on superdelegates to commit to one candidate, and almost certainly more mud slinging between the two nominees. As political theater, the spectacle of a primary fight that extends to (and maybe through) the convention will be riveting. If I were a Democrat, I would this thing wrapped up come Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, with a Clinton victory in Pennsylvania, that might not happen for a while.