On the Eve of Super Tuesday

Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigned fiercely on Monday, preparing themselves for the upcoming primary election in Texas and Ohio. Clinton made several stops in Ohio before heading to Texas where Obama was also campaigning hard for a final showdown before the voters started polling. In the Republican camp, John McCain is expected to win his campaign nomination. McCain hopes to win the 250 delegates that are at stake in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island to win the GOP's nomination at the national convention in September.

The primaries of Ohio and Texas are crucial for Clinton, if she is to ride over the momentum that the Obama campaign is gaining. Obama has currently had 11 consecutive wins that have pulled him ahead of Clinton. Clinton may face some pressure to step aside from the race for her party nomination if she looses.

There are 370 delegates for the Democrats to win from Texas and Ohio. While Clinton enjoyed an early lead in these States, Obama’s campaign has managed to gain enough momentum to overtake her.

Clinton remains un-perplexed with regard to the outcome of these two primaries. She vowed to carry on her campaign even if she did not secure wins in these two states. Clinton stated that she did not believe that the primaries were a make or break event. She told reporters that she was looking forward to the contest in Ohio and that she was just warming up. Clinton has been focusing her attacks over the weekend on Obama’s foreign policy and his inexperience in handling issues of national security. She underlined this fact by referring to one of her campaign advertisements that asked who would respond better to a national emergency in the middle of the night.

Obama refuted Clinton’s attacks by questioning the kind of foreign policy experience Clinton claims to have. Obama indicated that he felt that Clinton should reconsider continuing her campaign if she lost in the primaries of Texas and Ohio. Where delegates are concerned, Obama has secured 1,385 delegates to Clinton's 1,276.  The total number of delegates required to win the Democratic Party’s nomination at its national convention is 2025.