A few weeks ago, Hillary Clinton was seen as the clear frontrunner in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary — and the question was just how big her margin of victory would be.
But with several polls showing the race tightening, the Clinton campaign on Thursday made clear that it now thinks any win will be a success — and that any loss in Pennsylvania should be seen as a defeat for Barack Obama.
Howard Wolfson, Clinton’s communications director, told reporters on a conference call this morning that the Obama campaign is outspending Clinton’s 2-to-1 this week, and did the same last week, breaking all political spending records in the state. "I do not believe they are doing that just to do well," Wolfson said. "They are doing it to win."
Wolfson then began what will surely be a running game of managed expectations until polls close on Tuesday. "If they do not win, they will have been unsuccessful in the state of Pennsylvania. That is where I believe the bar ought to be."
Pointing to Obama’s heavy spending, his many visits to the state, and the support he’s received from Sen. Bob Casey, Wolfson said Obama had created the best playing field he could hope for. "If they are unable to claim an outright victory, after all of that, it will be another example of Sen. Obama failing to win a large key state."