Poll: Obama gaining on Clinton in Penn.

PHILADELPHIA, April 8 (UPI) -- Barrack Obama is gaining ground on Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania primary race thanks to growing support among women, a poll released Tuesday indicates.

The Quinnipac University Poll showed Clinton with 50 percent of the vote in the Keystone State and Obama with 44 percent, which compares to a 50-41 percent edge for Clinton a week ago.

Pollsters noted, however, Obama has increased his support among women from 37 percent last week to 41 percent by Sunday while Clinton remained at 54 percent.

"Obama is not only building on his own constituencies, but is taking away voters in Sen. Clinton's strongest areas -- whites including white women, voters in the key swing Philadelphia suburbs and those who say the economy is the most important issue in the campaign," Clay Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipac University Polling Institute, said in a written statement.

Richards that Obama would benefit by a close loss nearly as much as a win in the April 22 primary in convincing the party that he can take on Republican John McCain in major swing states such as Pennsylvania in the general election.

The poll surveyed 1,340 Pennsylvania likely Democratic primary voters April 3-6 and had a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.