Obama Goes Into Miss. as Favorite

Barack Obama heads into today's Mississippi primary as the favorite in the last vote before Pennsylvania's on April 22. Mississippi has the largest percentage of African-American voters in the country—about half of the Democratic electorate is black—and the Obama campaign is expected to to add the state to its list of Southern successes, reports US News & World Report.

One poll gives the Illinois senator a 58%-34% advantage in today's vote, which will divvy up 33 delegates. The Clinton camp has downplayed the state's importance, focusing instead on the April 22 Pennsylvania race. Although Mississippi's is an open primary, state officials expect few GOP voters to turn up to cast a ballot, notes Jackson's Clarion Ledger. (More Mississippi stories.)