And so it begins, Hillary will go negative tonight. This is her only chance to stop Obama's momentum.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/21/debate.main/index.html
AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- The stakes couldn't be higher for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as they meet in their final face off before the crucial Texas primary.
The last time Clinton and Obama debated was before the Super Tuesday contests. Both scored big in those races, splitting two dozen contests from coast to coast.
But in the two weeks since Super Tuesday, Obama has swept every race. He's heading into the debate on an 11-contest winning streak, and Clinton is doing everything she can to stop his momentum.
"There is a difference between rhetoric and reality," Clinton said while campaigning in Texas Thursday. "The reality of the people here ... is what I am focused on."
Clinton is facing an uphill fight. She's faced loss after loss, and Obama raised more than three times as much money last month.
Even former President Clinton admitted while campaigning in Texas on Wednesday that his wife must win in Texas and Ohio when those states, along with Vermont and Rhode Island, hold primaries March 4.
Texas, with 193 delegates, is the most valuable prize that day.
A stumble from either candidate could change the state of the campaign. Obama, however, has an easier night ahead, CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger said. Watch what to expect at the debate »
"All he has to do is not make a mistake. She's got to get under his skin. She's got to get to him. She's got to differentiate herself from him without appearing to be nasty," she said.
Clinton has done well with Latino voters, who could play a big role in the primary. Obama, however, has been steadily chipping away at Clinton's base, and his campaign is hoping that trend will continue.
"He's riding a winning streak and leads Clinton by more than 140 pledged delegates, but he faces some challenges in Texas, a state with a large Latino population. Clinton's done quite well with such voters so far this primary season," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Monday suggests the Democratic race in Texas is a statistical dead heat.
In the survey, taken before Obama's Tuesday victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Clinton as their choice for the party's nominee, with 48 percent backing Obama. The poll's margin of error is 4.5 percentage points.
Two other recent polls also show the race statistically even.
"One reason the race appears to be tight is that Texas Democrats are having a hard time choosing between two attractive options," CNN polling director Keating Holland said.
"Likely Democratic primary voters would be equally happy if either candidate won the nomination, and they don't see a lot of difference between them on several top issues."
The economy is among the top issues that could come up in Thursday's debate. According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Thursday morning, 62 percent of Texans think the economy is in a recession. Because Texas is a state that borders Mexico, the odds are good that the divisive issue of illegal immigration will come up as well.
The debate is taking place on the campus of the University of Texas. It airs live on CNN, CNN International and CNN.com from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET. The debate will also air in Spanish on Univision at 11:30 p.m. ET.
It will be replayed on Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Texas Democrats held an online lottery for 100 seats to the debate, and more than 43,000 people entered the drawing.
"We've got rock stars for candidates, that's the truth," said Boyd Richie, who heads the Texas Democratic party. "People are excited about that. They want to see this debate."
The remainder of the 1,600 seats, most of which were controlled by the Democratic party, were distributed by invitation only.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/21/debate.main/index.html
AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- The stakes couldn't be higher for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as they meet in their final face off before the crucial Texas primary.
The last time Clinton and Obama debated was before the Super Tuesday contests. Both scored big in those races, splitting two dozen contests from coast to coast.
But in the two weeks since Super Tuesday, Obama has swept every race. He's heading into the debate on an 11-contest winning streak, and Clinton is doing everything she can to stop his momentum.
"There is a difference between rhetoric and reality," Clinton said while campaigning in Texas Thursday. "The reality of the people here ... is what I am focused on."
Clinton is facing an uphill fight. She's faced loss after loss, and Obama raised more than three times as much money last month.
Even former President Clinton admitted while campaigning in Texas on Wednesday that his wife must win in Texas and Ohio when those states, along with Vermont and Rhode Island, hold primaries March 4.
Texas, with 193 delegates, is the most valuable prize that day.
A stumble from either candidate could change the state of the campaign. Obama, however, has an easier night ahead, CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger said. Watch what to expect at the debate »
"All he has to do is not make a mistake. She's got to get under his skin. She's got to get to him. She's got to differentiate herself from him without appearing to be nasty," she said.
Clinton has done well with Latino voters, who could play a big role in the primary. Obama, however, has been steadily chipping away at Clinton's base, and his campaign is hoping that trend will continue.
"He's riding a winning streak and leads Clinton by more than 140 pledged delegates, but he faces some challenges in Texas, a state with a large Latino population. Clinton's done quite well with such voters so far this primary season," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Monday suggests the Democratic race in Texas is a statistical dead heat.
In the survey, taken before Obama's Tuesday victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Clinton as their choice for the party's nominee, with 48 percent backing Obama. The poll's margin of error is 4.5 percentage points.
Two other recent polls also show the race statistically even.
"One reason the race appears to be tight is that Texas Democrats are having a hard time choosing between two attractive options," CNN polling director Keating Holland said.
"Likely Democratic primary voters would be equally happy if either candidate won the nomination, and they don't see a lot of difference between them on several top issues."
The economy is among the top issues that could come up in Thursday's debate. According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Thursday morning, 62 percent of Texans think the economy is in a recession. Because Texas is a state that borders Mexico, the odds are good that the divisive issue of illegal immigration will come up as well.
The debate is taking place on the campus of the University of Texas. It airs live on CNN, CNN International and CNN.com from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET. The debate will also air in Spanish on Univision at 11:30 p.m. ET.
It will be replayed on Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Texas Democrats held an online lottery for 100 seats to the debate, and more than 43,000 people entered the drawing.
"We've got rock stars for candidates, that's the truth," said Boyd Richie, who heads the Texas Democratic party. "People are excited about that. They want to see this debate."
The remainder of the 1,600 seats, most of which were controlled by the Democratic party, were distributed by invitation only.
CNN
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