Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail

[March 12, 2008]  (AP) IN THE HEADLINES -- Obama beats Clinton in racially polarized Mississippi Democratic primary; Pennsylvania is next ... From April to June contests, Democrats do the math in planning strategy ... Obama camp, Florida congressional delegation raises questions about possible vote-by-mail

Obama wins Mississippi Democratic race

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With a six-week breather before the next primary, Hillary Rodham Clinton turned her attention to Pennsylvania and beyond to counter the latest in a string of victories by Barack Obama in Southern states with large black voting blocs.

Obama won roughly 90 percent of the black vote in Mississippi on Tuesday, but only about one-quarter of the white vote. That was similar to the breakdown that helped him win South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana before losing to Clinton in Texas and Ohio, which has similar voter demographics to neighboring Pennsylvania.

"Now we look forward to campaigning in Pennsylvania and around the country," Maggie Williams, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a written statement that congratulated Obama on his victory.

"I'm confident that once we get a nominee, the party is going to be unified," Obama said in claiming his victory in Mississippi.

Clinton was attending a presidential forum in Washington on Wednesday. Obama planned to be in his hometown of Chicago.

With 99 percent of the vote counted, Obama had 61 percent to 37 percent for Clinton.

Republican Sen. John McCain, who has already won enough delegates to claim the GOP nomination, rolled up 79 percent of the vote in Mississippi.

Obama picked up at least 17 of Mississippi's 33 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, with five more to be awarded. He hoped for a win sizable enough to erase most if not all of Clinton's 11-delegate gain from last week, when she won three primaries.

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Democrats do the math

FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. (AP) -- Facing a revived Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat Barack Obama has dropped a tenet of his early strategy that seemed vital to his January successes: the conviction that he can win almost anywhere if he has enough time to engage voters.

With the important Pennsylvania contest six weeks away -- a near eternity in presidential primaries -- Obama is playing down his chances here, even though a victory would effectively finish Clinton. His aides are emphasizing instead the need to campaign in North Carolina, Indiana and other presumably friendlier states that will vote even later.

Clinton, meanwhile, is banking heavily on Pennsylvania. A solid win here could sustain her claim to late-season momentum and the ability to win big, industrial states.

The New York senator traveled to Pennsylvania immediately after the March 4 primaries, when her Ohio and Texas wins kept her campaign alive. Obama did not go until Tuesday, a full week later. He held one public event, north of Philadelphia, before returning to Chicago for a day.

Obama's revised strategy is, essentially, a mathematical calculation. If Clinton wins a few more delegates than he does in Pennsylvania, Obama figures, he can offset them in the nine states and territories scheduled to vote later.

His current lead of roughly 100 delegates would stay about the same, the thinking goes. That would position him to tell the all-important superdelegates this summer there is no justification for them to tip the nomination to Clinton.

Obama camp concerned about mail-in votes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Florida's congressional delegation says it opposes holding a Democratic presidential vote by mail, and Barack Obama expressed concerns about the fairness of that option.

Democratic leaders in Florida and Michigan have been considering a mail-in election to allocate delegates to the Democratic national convention between Sens. Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Democratic National Committee will not seat delegates chosen in primaries held in January, earlier than allowed under party rules.

In a statement Tuesday, House members from Florida said they were committed to working with the DNC and state officials to find a solution to ensure that their 210 delegates take their place at the convention. However, "Our House delegation is opposed to a mail-in campaign or any redo of any kind."

The statement was issued by Rep. Alcee Hastings and put the House members at odds with Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, a Clinton supporter. He has been promoting a primary by mail, and his office has been consulting with officials in Oregon about how they handle it.

Obama, fresh off a win in Mississippi's primary, said in an interview with CNN that he had reservations about a vote by mail.

"I think there's some concerns in terms of making sure that whatever we do is fair, and that votes are properly counted and the logistics make sense," he said.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton attends a presidential forum in the District of Columbia. Barack Obama is in Chicago.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain holds a town hall meeting in Exeter, N.H.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"It's regrettable that any of our supporters -- on both sides, because we both have this experience -- say things that kind of veer off into the personal." -- Hillary Rodham Clinton, responding to remarks by Geraldine Ferraro, the 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate, saying Barack Obama "would not be in this position" if he was a white man.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Six in 10 of Barack Obama supporters said he should pick Hillary Rodham Clinton as his vice presidential running mate if he wins the Democratic presidential nomination, according to interviews with voters leaving polling places in Mississippi. A smaller share of Clinton's voters, four in 10, said she should place him on the ticket.

[Associated Press]

Compiled by Ann Sanner and Jerry Estill.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.