Clinton win shows fissures within party

NASHVILLE, April 23 (UPI) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton's win in Pennsylvania exposed fissures within the Democratic party which could affect the party's success in November, observers say.

The New York senator took a 55 percent-to-45 percent win in the Pennsylvania primary over Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, unofficial results indicate. The victory demonstrated Clinton's ability to connect with blue-collar workers, a demographic elusive for Obama, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Her win also underscored concerns about Obama's appeal as a general election candidate, the Times said, as exit polls showed divisions along racial, economic, sex and values within the party among Democrats.

Only 60 percent of Democratic Catholic voters said they would vote for Obama in a general election; 21 percent indicated they would vote for Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, exit polls show.

"This is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen," Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, an uncommitted superdelegate, told the Times. "They are going to just keep standing there and pounding each other and bloodying each other, and no one is winning."

Both candidates have strengths and weaknesses, Bredesen said.

"The sooner it is we end this and try to figure out how to address those weaknesses, the better," he said.