White men critical constituency for Obama
Published: March 17, 2008 at 7:55 AM
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 17 (UPI) -- White men may be the swing constituency in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, recent exit polls indicate.
The competition for the support of this demographic segment, particularly men defined as working class, will shape the showdown between Clinton of New York and Obama of Illinois, The Washington Post said, after analyzing exit polls.
In the Wisconsin and Virginia primaries, Obama seemed to have cracked into this constituency, but he fared poorly among working-class white men in Texas and Ohio. How Obama finishes in Ohio with this group could raise questions about whether he can attract support from this demographic and whether his race would be a barrier in some of the industrial battlegrounds in the general election if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, the Post said.
David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, said he is uncertain how concerned the campaign should be about the influence of race on working-class white voters.
"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."
The competition for the support of this demographic segment, particularly men defined as working class, will shape the showdown between Clinton of New York and Obama of Illinois, The Washington Post said, after analyzing exit polls.
In the Wisconsin and Virginia primaries, Obama seemed to have cracked into this constituency, but he fared poorly among working-class white men in Texas and Ohio. How Obama finishes in Ohio with this group could raise questions about whether he can attract support from this demographic and whether his race would be a barrier in some of the industrial battlegrounds in the general election if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, the Post said.
David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, said he is uncertain how concerned the campaign should be about the influence of race on working-class white voters.
"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."
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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