Obama Campaign Looks Ahead After Double Digit Loss in Pennsylvania

(CBS)

CHICAGO – Barack Obama's campaign continued to downplay their 10 point loss in the Pennsylvania primary this morning, arguing that they anticipated the results last night. "We don't believe that the structure of the race has changed fundamentally," said campaign manager David Plouffe, adding that they achieved their overall goal to cut down Hillary Clinton's lead in the state.

Plouffe emphasized the importance of the May 6th primaries in North Carolina and Indiana, arguing that the combined total in the two states offer more pledged delegates than Pennsylvania. He called North Carolina a battleground state and said Clinton should be able to win there by her own definition of success.

"I know that North Carolina is one of the largest states in the country, so I'm sure the Clinton campaign thinks they are the favorites there," campaign strategist David Axelrod argued last night. "But we feel pretty good about our chances and we're going to compete there."

Both Plouffe and Axelrod believe that Obama's performance in Pennsylvania is not an indication of how he will perform in a general election. "It's not a predictive thing to say that if you don't win in primary you won't win in general," Axelrod said.

Plouffe made a similar argument this morning. "The best chance we will have to win the general election is to stretch the playing field," he said. "Rather than having to win every state you are competing in, extend the map."

With $42.5 million cash on hand, the Obama campaign is confident they will be competitive in primaries to come. "We have the organizational ability, the financial ability and the appeal to put a lot of states in play," Plouffe said.