US:BARACK OBAMA and Hillary Clinton are digging in for a six-week campaign ahead of Pennsylvania's primary on April 22nd following Mr Obama's resounding victory in Mississippi on Tuesday.
Mr Obama won 60 per cent of the vote, compared to just 38 per cent for Mrs Clinton, wiping out any gains among pledged delegates the former first lady made last week when she won Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island.
The primary divided voters sharply along racial lines, with more than nine out of 10 African-Americans backing Mr Obama while 70 per cent of white voters supported Mrs Clinton.
Former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, who was a member of the Clinton campaign's finance committee, stepped down from her position yesterday. This followed the re-emergence of the race issue with her remark that Mr Obama "would not be in this position" if he was white. Mrs Clinton had said she disagreed with Mrs Ferraro but she stopped short of condemning the remarks which Mr Obama said were divisive.
"Part of what I think Geraldine Ferraro is doing, and I respect the fact that she was a trailblazer, is to participate in the kind of slice and dice politics that's about race and about gender and about this and that, and that's what Americans are tired of because they recognise that when we divide ourselves in that way we can't solve problems," he said.
The Clinton campaign yesterday called on Mr Obama to remove Gen Tony McPeak as a foreign policy adviser for an allegedly sexist remark early last month.
"Do you agree with General McPeak that you are more qualified to be commander in chief because you don't "go on television and have crying fits?" Are you prepared to remove General McPeak from your campaign for what is viewed by many as a sexist comment?" the campaign asked in a memo.
Mrs Clinton is banking heavily on winning Pennsylvania to remain competitive in a race where she still trails Mr Obama by more than 100 delegates. She is deploying 250 staff in more than 20 offices across the state, which has large numbers of older voters and white, blue-collar workers, who have been her most dependable supporters. Her campaign said yesterday that Pennsylvania represented a crucial test for Mr Obama to prove that he can defeat John McCain in November.
"Pennsylvania is of particular importance, along with Ohio, Florida and Michigan, because it is dominated by the swing voters who are critical to a Democratic victory in November. No Democrat has won the presidency without winning Pennsylvania since 1948. And no candidate has won the Democratic nomination without winning Pennsylvania since 1972," the campaign said.
Mr Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, yesterday played down Pennsylvania's significance, describing it as only one out of 10 states still to vote. "The key is not who wins the states that the Clinton campaign thinks are important. Throughout this entire process, they have cherry-picked states, diminished caucuses, and moved the goal posts to create a shifting, twisted rationale for why they should win the nomination despite winning fewer primaries, fewer states, fewer delegates, and fewer votes," he said.
While the Democrats fight it out over Pennsylvania, Mr McCain is turning his attention to choosing a running mate as he crosses the country on a fundraising tour. The Republican nominee grinned yesterday when he was asked about comments by his former rival Mitt Romney, who said he would be "honoured" to serve as vice-president.
"We've had at least a hundred volunteers to lead the search effort for the VP candidate," Mr McCain said of supporters volunteering their advice. "Incredible acts of generosity and willingness to serve the country."
