Pennsylvania delegates say state victory is crucial

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Both political parties know they need Pennsylvania to win the presidential election, and both parties think they can get it.

All eyes were on the state - which is considered one of the most important battleground states and has given its electoral votes to the Democratic Party since 1992 - at the Democratic and Republican conventions, and Pennsylvania's politicians were given prominent speaking roles.

On the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, both Gov. Ed Rendell and Sen. Bob Casey addressed the party's delegates, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter introduced Hillary Clinton before her delegate-releasing speech.

At the Republican National Convention, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was originally slated to speak on Tuesday, but because of schedule changes related to Hurricane Gustav, he did not speak.

And despite Pennsylvania's recent support for Democratic presidential candidates, Republicans think they have a good chance of winning the state this year because Obama, not Hillary Clinton with her blue collar support, is the nominee.

"The thing that excites Republicans is the Hillary-Obama vote in the primary. She just clobbered him" even after he had essentially secured the nomination, said Republican National Committee chairman David Norcross.

"Pennsylvanian has a big blue collar population. That makes us think we can win it," he continued.

Both parties are also thinking of Pennsylvania with their vice presidential choices as well.

"One of the reasons for [Sen. Joe Biden's] selection was his ability to help us, especially in the eastern part of the state," Rendell told the Pennsylvania delegation during the convention. "We are becoming a focal point of this election."

Biden cited the placement of dozens of campaign offices and hundreds of permanent campaign staff in the state, saying that all of the resources of the Obama-Biden campaign will be used to win the state.

"You're going to have a whole hell of a lot of me," said Biden, who was born in Scranton, Pa., in a speech before Pennsylvania delegates. "I'm coming home."

Republicans also believe their vice presidential pick will add to the party's appeal in Pennsylvania.

Gov. Sarah Palin "is pro-life and pro-gun and there's parts of Pennsylvanian where that's going to be a huge help," Norcross said.

"My expectation is that a member of a union household who battled corruption in her own party, who hunts moose and has administrative experience should go over well across the board," said Mark Gillen, the Republican County chairman for Berks County.

The importance of the state in the election means both presidential tickets will be making frequent stops in Pennsylvania.

"There's no road to victory that doesn't include Pennsylvania," Rep. Chakkah Fattah said. "It is one of the first states that Obama and Biden will visit after this convention, and that is not by coincidence."

Fattah said the state is so important because of simple Electoral College math - Pennsylvania holds 21 electoral votes.

But to win the state, Democratic officials cannot rely simply on Biden's nomination. They must work across the state to spread the message of the Obama-Biden ticket, Nutter said.

"We have to do our job," he said. Obama "will give us the platform and the message, but the work is for us to do."

Republicans also recognize the fight won't be easy.

Norcross said he sees Ohio and Virginia as voting for McCain, and that for Pennsylvania to go Republican both McCain and Palin will need to spend a "significant amount of time" in the state.

The Obama campaign will also need to focus on the western part of the state, where the Democratic Party does not have as strong of a hold, officials say.

Obama "needs to convince working class people who have no idea about Harvard educations that he really understands their plights and can change their plights," said Lewis Katz, who has long been involved with the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania and attended the Democratic convention.

"His opponent is more in touch in age and in life's background with that demographic of voter," he said.

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