IS HILLARY JUST BI-COASTAL?

IS HILLARY JUST BI-COASTAL?

By DICK MORRIS

Published on DickMorris.com on February 6, 2008.

As impressive as Hillary’s win in California is, her Super Tuesday performance raises the question: Is she a bi-coastal phenomenon? Is flyover country Obama-land?

Hillary won New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arizona and California. But in the heartland in between, she only carried her once-native Arkansas and its next door neighbors Tennessee and Oklahoma. But Obama carried Illinois, Alabama, Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, and Delaware.

Can Hillary win the states in the middle?

During the next two weeks, we will hear from Virginia, Nebraska, Louisiana, and a host of small states whose total vote equals that of California.

By the time the delegates are chosen from California, Hillary’s lead will be about 150-200 votes, not an insurmountable margin and one largely based on her lead among super delegates. Now comes two weeks of voting by small states, the largest being Washington State, which collectively have as many delegates as California. They are: Louisiana, Nebraska, Maine, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Hawaii, and Wisconsin. Obama should run well in most of them.

And then comes the decisive test on March 4th in Ohio and Texas. There the heartland will register its vote and Hillary needs to raise her game to prevail.