Republicans haven’t won Pennsylvania in a Presidential Election since George Bush’s mini-landslide in 1988. Ever since then, in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004, the Keystone State has gone Democratic.
Although there was only 2% separating Bush and Kerry in 2004, Pennsylvania has generally been counted among the blue states in recent years, which is why the possibility that Republicans could actually win there in 2008 is so interesting:
In Pennsylvania, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will spend the next six weeks trying to win the state’s Democratic Presidential Primary. At the same time, voters will be paying attention in ways that may impact the general election. Right now, the Keystone State is a toss-up and it will be interesting to see if and how the general election race shifts over the coming weeks.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Pennsylvania shows John McCain leading Barack Obama by a statistically insignificant percentage point, 44% to 43%. McCain attracts 46% of the vote when matched against Clinton while the former First Lady earns 44%. Pennsylvania has cast its Electoral Votes for the Democratic candidate in four straight elections, but the margins have been very modest in the last two.
If Pennsylvania’s 21 Electoral Votes really are in play this year, anything can happen.
