Clinton Eyes Big Win in W.V. and New Poll Backs Her Up
CHARLESTON, W.V. -- A new Suffolk University Poll shows Hillary Clinton with a huge double-digit lead in West Virginia - a 36 point advantage over her opponent Barack Obama. But the most striking figure in the poll is that Clinton is viewed more favorably than Obama, a point of view not shared by most voters across the country.
The poll shows that 70 percent of West Virginians have a favorable opinion of Clinton compared to 44 percent for Obama. One of Clinton's biggest hurdles has been shedding an image that she is untrustworthy or making herself more likeable to voters, but its clear that that in West Virginia that hasn't been the case.
Clinton supporters argue that a big win in West Virginia will give her more reason to stay in the race, despite growing pressure from members of her own party to drop out. A senior Clinton aide seemed to think the only way Clinton would throw in the towel would be if a steady and constant flow of superdelegates would begin moving toward Obama. Over the weekend, Obama did overtake Clinton in superdelegates and currently holds a slight lead over her.
The aide seemed to think that unless a superdelegate rush to Obama happens, Clinton will stay in the race until the last state votes on June 3. Perhaps another indication that Clinton continues to campaign with a June 3 end date is the fact that her daughter Chelsea is expected to campaign in Puerto Rico later this week.
Today, Clinton will argue the importance of winning West Virginia in the fall and will point out no Democratic candidate has won the White House without winning West Virginia since 1916.