A political science professor from the Philadelphia area says Hillary Clinton's victory on Tuesday over Barack Obama in Pennsylvania gives her justification to continue her campaign, although she still faces long odds.
Villanova University political science professor Lowell Gustafson is not surprised Senator Clinton (D-New York) won the state of Pennsylvania because the demographics were clearly in her favor. He says Catholics, blue-collar voters, and "especially white women and older voters" were expected to support Clinton -- "and they did," he says. "[They did so] in sufficient numbers for her to stave off some of the advances that Obama was making a few weeks ago," the educator details. Gustafson notes that Clinton successfully capitalized on Senator Obama's (D-Illinois) controversial remark about "bitter" small-town voters who "cling to guns or religion." He contends that Clinton carried out a "Republican strategy" that was very effective. The political scientist argues that the former first lady successfully criticized Obama on religion, hunting, values, and national security. Next up for Clinton and Obama are crucial early May primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. Professor Gustafson says the protracted Democratic race is already taking a toll on Clinton’s campaign finances. "Hillary Clinton is really getting low on her funds," he explains. He notes that Clinton's campaign is carrying a debt of roughly a million dollars, and she is spending about a million dollars a day. "And she is just not bringing in enough money," he continues. Gustafson says the real question is whether in the next few days potential donors will decide if Clinton's margin of victory in Pennsylvania warrants them "bringing out their checkbooks" to keep her campaign alive. According to Gustafson, Obama is still favored to win the Democratic nomination. But because of the success of Clinton's GOP-style strategy in the Keystone State, says Gustafson, the potential general election match-up between Obama and Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) is now shaping up to be even closer than what experts expected just a few months ago.
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