Clinton to be Projected PA Primary winner, LiveBlog

PENNSYLVANIA, 8 p.m: Only a few seconds left until the polls close today in Pennsylvania and both candidates are waiting on the results in Sen. Hillary Clinton in Center City, Philadelphia, while Sen. Barack Obama can now be found in Indiana. And although no one is projecting a victor by the exit poll numbers, ballots should be available momentarily.

The Clinton campaign would be, naturally, incredibly surprised if they could not pull out a win in Pennsylvania, given the larger demographic of working class whites, specifically a larger percent of women voting in the primary.

Sen. Obama outspent Clinton, says CNN, by 2 to 1 in the Keystone state and made a very hard play for working class Pennsylvanians.

Voting irregularities have been reported to the League of Women Voters, which they said they received “hundreds” of callers complaining of malfunctioning machines, as well as a problem with the record number of voters who switched from Republican to the Democratic Party who were unable to vote, says CNN on “CNN Pennsylvania Primary.”

Whether or not any lawsuits or recounts will be pursued, the idea that after months of preparation for these incredibly paramount primary voter irregularities still occurred is much more than frustrating. As of late, the switch to electronic voter machines seems to bring up a larger issue: whether or not convenience is worth the price.

Many of these irregularities are irreversible.

The white male demographic seems to be what most news media outlets are focusing on as a big “push” factor in the primary numbers for Pennsylvania, as if that was something that had never happened before. Recent break-down of demographics shows an overwhelming amount of support for Sen. Obama from African Americans.

Further speculation about Sen. Clinton’s participation in the race has begun to bubble up the surface. Although delegate math and popular vote numbers work against Sen. Clinton, the PA primary numbers could very well determine her future involvement in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Most raw numbers are expected to be gathered by 9 p.m. tonight.

According to exit polls found on ABCNews, say that many voters felt that both candidates negatively and unfairly attacked one another. Regardless, however, the nomination predictions are still on Sen. Obama’s side, says ABC.

Of both democratic supporters, pollsters say, “just 6 percent of [Sen. Obama’s] supporters in these early results think Clinton will win the nomination; by contrast, two in 10 Clinton supporters think Obama will be the nominee.”

This theme carried over to FOX News, who called the last hours of the PA primary an “increasingly bitter and negative contest between the two Democratic candidates.” Statewide voter turnouts, according to FOX News, would set modern records that have not been seen since 1980 when Sen. Edward Kennedy when he ran against President Carter.

Ultimately, one would hope that this opportunity to vote in this historic election would generate such excitement among voters.

9 p.m: MSNBC, channel 36 (local), just called Sen. Clinton as the projected winner of the primary using only 3 percent of the raw polling numbers. Clinton supporters are waiting to see the margin increase as the night progresses. ABC News has also projected Sen. Clinton as the Pennsylvania victor, as “expected” they say.

The implications of this win have brought up many questions about the amount of money spent by Sen. Obama and his inability, despite this, to close a deal on the Democratic nomination. However that is not the only question being asked—the question of the margin of win necessary to perpetuate the now financially spent Clinton campaign.

The Clinton campaign will need much more than a small, marginal win to continue successfully the race for the nomination.

Each candidate’s campaign, is now struggling to define a “win.” The Clinton campaign, naturally, calls the PA Primary a clear “win,” whereas the Obama campaign views it as too little too late.

Most projected numbers have been anywhere from 60%-40% to 55%-45% in Sen. Clinton’s favor.

With little surprise, Sen. John McCain won the Republican primary for PA.