Hillary, Chelsea Clinton Reach Out to North Carolina Voters

As Hillary Clinton celebrated her victory in the Pennsylvania primary, the people of North Carolina began to hunker down in preparation for the upcoming onslaught as the tightly contested Democratic contest turned south in search of delegates.

Both Democratic candidates realize the significance of winning in North Carolina. The state has the largest number of delegates of the remaining primary states and is also the largest in population of the remaining states.

Political analysts point out that if Senator Obama can win decisively in North Carolina he can end Hillary's claim that she has won all of the big states and all of the "battleground" states.

Both candidates claim to have a chance to win in North Carolina, but some polls show Obama leading by as many as 20 points. The state has a large African-American population (25% of the total) 95% of whom support Obama. Even if one assumes that Obama and Clinton split the support of the liberal wing of the state Democratic Party, Clinton is left with no sizable voter contingent to overcome Obama's solid African-American base.

Analysts agree the state will not be conceded by the Clinton campaign, as evidenced by Bill Clinton's frequent visits, in which he furiously criss-crosses the state in an effort to visit as many cities as possible. Having previously visited the larger cities, the former President spent one week in early April stopping in small to mid-sized towns, many of which would be unknown outside the state. The first week in April, Clinton conducted rallies in Pembroke, Laurinburg and Monroe (smaller towns). The following week he visited Roanoke Rapids, Wilson, Goldsboro, and Kinston -- similarly small towns. It appears that Clinton has decided that Obama's support in the larger cities is too strong to be overcome.