Today's primaries in Ohio and Texas could very well determine the fate of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign - and the importance of Pennsylvania's April 22 primary.
Going into today's contests for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton holds a slight lead in the polls in Ohio, while Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama are virtually tied in Texas.
If Clinton loses to Obama in both Ohio and Texas, the next question is whether she will remain in the race. And should Obama win in both states, he will have effectively secured the nomination.
After a string of 11 victories since Feb. 5, Obama has continued to gain momentum in Ohio and Texas, states that were previously considered Clinton's territory.
"All the weather vanes seem to be pointing in Obama's direction," said Randall Miller, a political analyst and history professor at St. Joseph's University.
Miller added that the results in Ohio and Texas will determine whether Clinton remains a viable candidate.
Clinton must win in Ohio and Texas "to maintain the illusion that she's still in it," Miller said, but she needs to win by a significant margin in both states to actually remain competitive.
Analysts' views have changed since the days immediately following Super Tuesday, when pundits predicted it was plausible that the Democratic party would still not have a presumptive nominee by Pennsylvania's primary.
But now, Pennsylvania could simply serve as proving ground for Obama.
If Clinton wins in Ohio and Texas, "there would be a lot of attention focused on [Pennsylvania] . but not in the way we thought it would be a month ago," Miller said.
Clinton victories in both states would force Obama to have a strong showing in Pennsylvania to prove himself as the Democratic nominee. Still, Clinton would have to do very well in Pennsylvania, even with those wins, to catch up to Obama in terms of delegates.
Student groups on campus, particularly the Penn Democrats, are prepping for the possibility of a significant Pennsylvania primary.
"We'll definitely still be involved in the campaigns regardless of what happens" today, said Penn Dems president and College sophomore Lauren Burdette.
She added that even if Clinton drops out of the race after today's primaries, Penn Dems will still hold its endorsement meeting tomorrow night. However, the organization is planning for a contested race in Pennsylvania.
If Clinton stays in the race, Burdette said, she thinks Pennsylvania's primary would be "bigger than Iowa," and the Penn Dems' endorsement will hold significant weight.
Penn students are excited about the upcoming primaries, though unsure about their probable outcomes.
"If Pennsylvania does matter, I think it will go to Obama," said College freshman Becky Heller. "But tomorrow, I think Hillary's got a chance for sure."
