Obama: Can He Make White Men Jump?

Failure to woo subset turned key states to Hillary, pundits say
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 17, 2008 8:16 PM CDT
Obama: Can He Make White Men Jump?
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., holds a baby as he works the rope line following his address during a rally Monday, March 3, 2008, in Houston.    (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

White men have become key swing voters in the Democratic race, the Washington Post reports, and Barack Obama has failed to woo them. His success with the subset in Wisconsin and Virginia was a major breakthrough, pundits say, but he couldn't make white men jump in Texas and Ohio—turning the crucial states to Hillary Clinton and reviving her campaign.

The Illinois senator wins fewer white votes in states with large minority populations, where racial tensions may be higher. An Obama adviser said he sees the split but is uncertain how concerned to be. "It bears some closer examination," he said. "I think for older voters, it's more of a leap than for younger voters. But I don't think it's an insuperable barrier." (More Barack Obama stories.)

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