Hillary Owns the Liberal White Vote

Clinton Beats Obama Handily in W. Virginia

By PATRICK HEALY

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided victory on Tuesday over Senator Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary, where racial considerations emerged as an unusually salient factor. Mrs. Clinton drew strong support from white, working-class voters, who have spurned Mr. Obama in recent contests.

The number of white Democratic voters who said race had influenced their choices on Tuesday was among the highest recorded in voter surveys in the nomination fight. Two in 10 white West Virginia voters said race was an important factor in their votes. More than 8 in 10 who said it factored in their votes backed Mrs. Clinton, according to exit polls.

With Mr. Obama solidly ahead of Mrs. Clinton in the delegate fight, the West Virginia results are unlikely to hurt Mr. Obama’s chances of winning the nomination. A strong Clinton victory in another general election battleground state like her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania could raise fresh questions about Mr. Obama’s ability to carry swing states in a contest against Senator John McCain.

With 64 percent of the precincts reporting, Mrs. Clinton had 65 percent of the vote and Mr. Obama had 27 percent. John Edwards, who pulled out of the race but whose name remained on the ballot, had 7 percent.

The surveys showing a strong racial component in the West Virginia voting suggest that Mr. Obama would face pockets of Democratic resistance if he becomes the first black nominee of the party. Although he has argued that he could broaden the Democratic base in the fall, given his popularity with independents and strong showing in traditionally Republican states like Colorado and Virginia, the Clinton camp has pointed to his modest support from white voters and blue-collar workers as weak links for him.

Obama supporters accused Mrs. Clinton of playing the race card last week when she said she had more support among “white Americans” than he did. However blunt she was, white and financially struggling voters in West Virginia and in Kentucky, which votes next week and which Mr. Obama has all but conceded, have become a major force keeping her in the race.

Hillary's overwhelming victory in West Virginia would have been meaningless were it not for its disturbing racial aspects. It would seem that "hard-working Americans, white Americans" voted for the NY Senator in overwhelming numbers.

Patrick Healy's report could have been titled "Hillary Owns the Liberal White Vote." I chuckled when he wrote that Obama would face "pockets of Democrat resistance" if he is nominated. Why not simply admit that there is racism in the Democratic Party? But then again, why state the obvious?