Stories related to: Pennsylvania

Volunteers in Barack Obama's campaign have had to steel themselves against racism on the trail, even as the White House hopeful has repeatedly played down the anti-black sentiment his candidacy has revealed. Though the campaign maintains its travels “only reinforced Sen. Obama’s view that this country is not as divided as our politics suggest,” the Washington Post finds many anecdotes to the contrary. More »

The Pennsylvania primary didn't change the basic parameters of the race for the Democratic nomination in any significant way, Andrew Romano writes in Newsweek. But it had a huge effect on the narrative, handing Hillary Clinton Exhibit A for her claim that  Barack Obama can't win over white men. She will taunt him, as she did last night, for failing to knock her out, despite outspending her 3 to 1. Obama will boast, as he did last night, of cutting her Pennsylvania lead, and will hammer her for divisive tactics that are hurting the party. More »

Hillary Clinton savored her win in the Pennsylvania primary tonight, pitching herself in her victory speech as the toughest Democratic contender for the job. She dismissed calls for her to drop out of the race, adding, "The American people don't quit and they deserve a president who doesn't quit, either."  She pledged to stand up for ordinary citizens, for people who "never waver in the face of adversity, who stand for what they believe and never stop believing in America." More »

Hillary Clinton gave her campaign a jolt of life tonight with a decisive win in the Pennsylvania primary, NBC News reports. With 99% of results in, Clinton led 55% to 45%, a margin of victory that gives her campaign enough credibility to remain in the race. "The tide is turning," she told supporters in a victory speech. More »

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama face off in Pennsylvania next Tuesday not only for 158 pledged delegates, but also for seven undeclared superdelegates, many of whom are awaiting the outcome of the primary. Fourteen Pennsylvania superdelegates have sided with Clinton and five with Obama, the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice reports. The others may be waiting for state or district results before showing their cards. More »

Secular politics won the day at last night's "Compassion Forum" in Pennsylvania, the LA Times reports, despite the Democratic contenders' resolve to present a united front on faith. Hillary Clinton used her pulpit at Messiah College to sermonize against her rival's comments on "bitter" religious voters, again calling the line "elitist, out of touch, and, frankly, patronizing." More »

A New York cop nabbed for robbing a bank this week may have committed two other heists last year, the NYPD said today. Christian Torres, a transit officer described by NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly as “a model cadet,” will be charged in New York after proceedings wrap up in Pennsylvania—where he allegedly stole $113,000 at a bank Thursday. More »

Barack Obama has been expected to do well in Philadelphia in this month's Pennsylvania primary, but a test of wills between his campaign and local party bosses might jeopardize his chances. The Philadelphia political scene has a long tradition of "street money"—payment to Democratic operatives who dispense $10, $20, and $50 bills to those who help get out the vote. But Obama's people won't pay up, writes the Los Angeles Times . More »

College kids' love for Barack Obama won't help him in the Keystone State, Politico reports. Many of Pennsylvania's 680,000 students hail from elsewhere and have voted absentee; among natives, a high number are Independent and therefore barred from the April 22 primary. Worse, attempts by Obama backers to enroll student voters may have come too late. More »

Polls in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida show Hillary Clinton faring better than Barack Obama in swing state head-to-heads with John McCain. Clinton beats the Republican by 8 points, 9 points, and 2 points, respectively, in those states while Obama wins by 4 points in the Keystone State and 1 point in the Buckeye State—and loses Florida by 9 points, McClatchy reports. More »

Hillary Clinton had $8.7 million in debt at the end of February, including roughly $300,000 in unpaid health insurance invoices for her staff and $3,100 from her own high school alma mater, where she held a campaign event. Barack Obama notched only $625,058 in debt, reports the Chicago Tribune, leading the former first lady to issue a new plea yesterday for donations. More »

The endorsement of Sen. Bob Casey will give Barack Obama aid right where he needs it, Shailagh Murray notes in the Washington Post —among Pennsylvania’s lower-income white men. So-called “Casey Democrats”—anti-abortion, pro-gun social conservatives—are the kind of voters Obama must prove he can sway April 22 in Pennsylvania, and nationwide in November. More »

Move over, French Laundry. The US' most in-demand dinner seat is in "flyspeck" Kennett Square, Pa., 35 miles from Philadelphia, Portfolio writes. Talula's Table takes reservations for its single, 12-seat table one year in advance. "My parents paid me $30 to stand out here," says one teen angling for a spot on a waiting list that commands an entire wall. More »

John Murtha, the Pennsylvania congressman who has become a leading critic of the Iraq war, is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, CQ Politics reports. “I know that Senator Clinton has a similar position that I have in regards to the war in Iraq,” Murtha said. While both he and Clinton voted to authorize the use of military force, Murtha publicly denounced the Iraq war in a noted 2005 speech. More »

Hillary Clinton lost Wyoming yesterday, but today the Washington Post has some welcome news for the Democratic underdog: Many superdelegates say they’ll wait until the end of the primaries to chose a candidate. “You’re going to see a lot of delegates remaining uncommitted,” said one neutral Democratic congressman. “There’s a sense that this is going to Denver not resolved.” More »

Barack Obama “urgently needs to come up with a new speech,” Washington Post op-ed columnist Eugene Robinson writes: He must tap white working-class voters to win the nomination. "Obama managed to escape the danger of being pigeonholed as a 'black candidate,'" Robinson writes. “Now he has to avoid being pigeonholed as some kind of elitist smarty-pants.” More »

Ed Rendell could be Hillary Clinton’s greatest asset in Pennsylvania—or he could explode in her face, Politico reports. Pennsylvania’s governor is popular and authentic, and he knows how to raise money and find the state’s voters. But Rendell shoots from the hip, and often hits his foot. He once speculated, for example, that Pennsylvanian whites would not vote for Obama because he is black. More »

Some so-called “microbreweries” have grown much too large to use that sobriquet, but as certain outfits outgrow the label, others are just growing into it. Portfolio 's Lew Bryson introduces the future of beer: one-man brewing. In a market where once-boutique names like Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada now command significant share, ultra-small operations have distinct advantages—and disadvantages. More »

The Teamsters union endorsed Barack Obama today, giving him a chance to make further inroads into Hillary Clinton's base of blue-collar workers. Obama met with Teamsters chief Jim Hoffa today, who afterward gave Obama the backing of the 1.4-million-member union, the Chicago Tribune reports. The move could help in Ohio and Pennsylvania, two big upcoming primaries. More »

The world’s first commercial oil well was in Oil City, Pa., which saw its fortunes fall along with the crude supply. Now that prices are at historic highs, Oil City is part of a renaissance. The easy crude is long gone, but a motley assortment of would-be barons is using everything from nuclear scanners to dynamite to churn up those last few drops. The Wall Street Journal pays a visit. More »