More or less even after small-state contests, including yesterday's South Carolina primary, the battle between Democratic presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama shifts to a coast-to-coast landscape. It will be a dizzying nine-day sprint to Super Tuesday, when New York and 21 other states hold primaries or caucuses.Obama, who found success in the early states by captivating voters at town hall meetings, can no longer rely on up-close-and-personal politicking to deliver his message of hope and change.
It’s now essentially a media war, with Obama and Clinton competing in sound bites and 30-second ads. And as spectacular as Super Tuesday will be — the biggest multi-state Primary Day in U.S. history — it appears mathematically unlikely either will clinch the nomination.
Polls show Clinton leading in the Feb. 5 states with the top prizes, most notably California (370 pledged delegates) and New York (232), which have about 30% of the convention votes needed to secure the nomination. But these delegates are awarded proportionally based on the popular vote, not winner take all, which means neither candidate can count on a windfall...