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July 5, 2008 5:39:16 PM CDT

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Age, not Race, Beat Barack in Pennsylvania

Posted Apr 24, 08 4:39 PM CDT in Politics    Editor's Choice

(Newser) – The best explanation for Hillary Clinton's big win in Pennsylvania was not race but age, Jonathan Alter argues in Newsweek. A remarkable 40% of the voters in Tuesday’s primary were over 60, and Barack Obama’s 41-59% defeat in the demographic was the killer. Pennsylvania is second only to Florida in average age, and Obama's showing among seniors there was actually markedly improved from his 28-69% thumping in that demo in Ohio.

Obama knows there's an issue—“our problem has less to do with white working-class voters [than] with older voters”—but if he can outlast Clinton, there's reason to hope that AARP-ready John McCain won’t trounce him in his age group. The Republican's support for privatizing Social Security is anathema to seniors, which chould help Obama bring the retirement set back.

Source Newsweek

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Supporters reacting to meeting Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A supporter of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The 'grandma' demographic that helped Hillary Clinton win the Pennsylvania primary could yet back Barack Obama in November, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter writes.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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Barack Obama  • Hillary Clinton  • John McCain  • Pennsylvania primary  • the senior vote


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Related Threads: Obama 2008, Clinton 2008, Election 2008, McCain 2008, Clinton-Obama Tussle, Keystone Confrontation, A House Divided, The Hillary Endgame

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