Hillary Plans Sunday Visit To Penn State
This story was written by Jessica Turnbull, Daily Collegian
Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will speak on Sunday night in Rec Hall, her campaign confirmed Thursday night.
Mark Nevins, Clinton's Pennsylvania communications director, said the doors at Rec Hall will open at 6 p.m. More information on tickets will be available closer to the event.
Emily Cain, a Clinton Pennsylvania spokeswoman, said the event starts at 8 p.m.
She said the campaign is excited to host the presidential candidate, who visited Penn State Fayette March 24 but has not been to University Park during the campaign.
Bill Clinton visited the campus March 27 to speak in support of his wife's campaign. About 8,000 people waited in line at Rec Hall to hear an hour-long speech on Clinton's beliefs on issues such as energy, Iraq and universal health care.
The former president has been on a tour of Pennsylvania for several months, making stops at several Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, including Penn State Erie Thursday.
Clinton's daughter Chelsea also made a University Park appearance last Thursday on the HUB lawn to support her mother.
Clinton's rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., addressed a crowd of 22,000 on the Old Main lawn March 30 and will speak at Penn State Erie Friday.
Robert Speel, an associate professor of political science at Penn State Erie, said this weekend is the last time for the Democratic candidates to rally for votes before Tuesday's primary, the first significant Pennsylvania primary 1984.
President Ronald Reagan, who won the election, easily secured the Republican nomination. But the Democratic candidacy came down to the Pennsylvania primary.
Sen. Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter's vice president, fought hard to defeat Sen. Gary Hart, of Colorado, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
If Obama wins in Pennsylvania, it would be damaging for the Clinton campaign. However, even a Clinton win won't put her in the lead, he said.
Clinton needs to win by a large margin of 15 to 20 percent to catch up to Obama's superdelegate numbers.
"If she wins Pennsylvania by 10 percent or less, she can still claim victory in our state, but it's not going to help her catch up in the delegate count very much," Speel said.
The next primaries will be held in Indiana and North Carolina in two weeks, he said.
"If Obama can win in Indiana and North Carolina, that may be the end of the line for the Clinton campaign," Speel said.
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