Brace yourself for more Democratic party infighting: Hillary Clinton is projected to win today's Pennsylvania primary. Now everyone, including the Clinton and rival Barack Obama campaigns, are waiting for what her margin of victory will be and how many of the state's 158 delegates she'll be able to pick up.
CNN political analyst Bill Schneider explained, "If Clinton wins by more than 10 points, which was her margin in neighboring Ohio and New Jersey, her campaign will have new momentum and she will soldier on...If Clinton wins by single digits, we're in a political twilight zone. Nothing changes." Clinton's camp is looking for a big win, hoping to gain ground on Obama's popular vote and delegate count.
Earlier today, Clinton told reporters, "I think a win is a win. Maybe I'm old-fashioned about that. I think maybe the question ought to be, why can't he close the deal with his extraordinary financial advantage? Why can't he win a state like this one, if that's the way it turns out ... big states, states that Democrats have to win." And the win probably feels good, as her campaign is $10 million in debt.
With 49% of the votes in, Clinton is projected to have 54% of the vote, Obama 46%. On the NYTimes.com homepage, there's a cool map feature where you can see how counties in Pennsylvania voted by certain demographics (college graduates, more than 5% black, etc.).
The next primary is May 6--North Carolina (where Clinton is headed after Philadelphia) and Indiana (where Obama is now).
Update: During her victory speech, Clinton asked supporters to visit her website and donate money. NBC's Tim Russert noted that he received an e-mail from the Clinton campaign (sent to everyone) bragging about the Pennsylvania win and asking for $5.
