(PHOTO CREDIT: AP)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Hillary Clinton has her eyes on the monster, March 4th contests in Ohio and Texas, but today's Wisconsin primary could prove to be a crucial race for her.
A win could reinvigorate her campaign and perhaps grab back some of the momentum that seems to be all Barack Obama's at this point. A loss could raise some serious questions about whether she has anything left.
Wisconsin is made up of lots and lots of voters who you'd think would support Clinton. It has been described as "practically tailor-made to resuscitate Clinton's campaign."
For example, 9 in 10 of Wisconsin's Democratic voters in 2004 were white. Clinton has so far been holding an 11% point advantage over Obama among whites. Also, working class people make up a larger proportion of Wisconsin's population than the rest of the country's Democrats. And, the state's voters tend to be a bit older than the national Democratic average.
One Democratic pollster even says Wisconsin is a place where Clinton should do better than everyone expects her to do.
But there are some wild cards out there. Turnout could be larger than in 2004, throwing off some of these estimates. Plus Wisconsin is an open primary, meaning Republicans and independents are free to vote in the Democratic primary. With McCain all but a cinch for the GOP nomination, that could happen. And from what we've seen so far, that would tend to favor Obama.
Here’s my question to you: Is the Wisconsin primary a make-or-break race for Hillary Clinton?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Bob writes:
Wisconsin is only important in that if she wins big, it should give her some momentum. But what really matters are Texas and Ohio. If she doesn't win both of those by wide margins, and then do the same in Pennsylvania, I don't think she'll have a chance - unless of course, her efforts to change the rules end up working for her.
Deb from Lancaster, Pennsylvania writes:
Should Hillary Clinton lose in this "tailor-made" state, it would indicate a solid shift of not only momentum but more importantly of the political thought-process. If she loses another previously considered "in-the-bag" primary, the message is clear: For the good of the party, Hill, step aside. Being married to the president does not make you qualified.
Aaron from Wisconsin writes:
It’s make-or-break for Hillary. I'll tell you what: I was originally backing Obama, full of hope from his ideas and determination of inspirational size. Then, I find out those speeches he had me hooked on were recycled from other politicians, the ones he claims are the status quo. I vote Hillary.
Penny from Wisconsin writes:
Even though Wisconsin is the perfect place for Hillary to make a comeback, it all comes too little too late for the voters. We Wisconsin voters can tell that she only cares about us now because it can refuel her campaign. Barack has been paying attention to us all along.
Roger from Dallas writes:
Jack, We are watching the Wisconsin primary with great interest as our chance to vote comes up in two weeks. Tomorrow Sen. Obama will be here and the excitement and enthusiasm is unlike any I have ever seen. We all have great respect for Senator Clinton, but Jack, I am 61 years old and haven't been this excited and pumped up about an election in more years than I care to think about. For once, we have a clear choice and not the lesser of two evils.
Joe from Ohio writes:
I think she could win Wisconsin and lose the nomination or lose Wisconsin and win the nomination. Can we just wait and see? I know it's not as fun as speculating but this election has taken us on a ride without a road map.