0
Pa. Primary Turns Politics of Race On Its Ear
Prominent Dems cross racial lines to back their candidates
By Wesley Oliver
|
Posted Mar 25, 08 10:23 AM CDT
|
Share
(Newser)
–
The upcoming primary in Pennsylvania pits two of the state's prominent young Democrats against each other in a battle that seems to defy the normal conventions of race and politics, USA Today reports. Philadelphia's popular black mayor is pushing hard for Clinton in the city, where Obama is nearly a lock to win, while a white first-term congressman is bucking the state establishment and campaigning for Obama in the suburbs.
"If you were drawing this up strategically, you'd probably place it just the other way around," said one state polling expert. But Philly Mayor Michael Nutter says Clinton understands “what urban America is about” and will fight for the cities. Rep. Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq vet in Congress and a staunch opponent of the war, says Obama is a "once-in-a-generation type of leader."