Senator Barack Obama, presidential candidate from Illinois, has gained ground on rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, in a new Quinnipiac poll. This latest poll, out of Pennsylvania, has Obama picking up 3 points in the last 5 days. While Clinton still leads 55-44, her lead has been consistently shrinking over the last several weeks.
Pennsylvania is considered by many political strategists to be a make or break state for Clinton. The senator from New York trails Obama 1486 to 1629 in delegates as the Democratic Party closes in on a nominee with only a handful of states to go. The 158 Pennsylvanian delegates up for grabs on April 22, represent one of the largest groupings still to be claimed.
As a younger voter, I feel that the back and forth race for the Democratic nomination has given new life to the electoral process. I know, from talking to people in my age bracket (18-25), that interest in the outcome of this primary has increased political awareness within this group. This is no small feat given that this group has historically been apathetic towards politics all together.
It seems that younger voters rally around the idea that every vote counts. This campaign season has seen candidates pay more attention to individual needs and concerns than any other in recent history. This, of course, is due to the fact that candidates have been forced to go to each state individually and fight tooth and nail to get delegates. In years past, by this point in the campaign season, the fight for delegates has been academic with the nominee all but named.
America, as you all know, likes good games and close finishes. It appears that politics is no different. The matchup between Clinton and Obama has been a great one to watch, and I can’t wait, as I am sure many of you can’t, to see who emerges victorious in this epic slugfest. We will find out on April 22, in Pennsylvania, if Obama can deliver the knockout blow or if Clinton really is like Rocky and can stage a comeback for the ages.
