Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (職位放在人名前)was poised (泰若自然的)Tuesday night to win the Democratic presidential primary(最初的,在這邊可譯為初選) in West Virginia over Senator Barack Obama by a wide margin(大幅度的), according to projections(預測) by the networks and The Associated Press, a victory fueled by strong turnout (人數)among the white, working-class voters who have spurned (vt摒棄、拒絕、唾棄)Mr. Obama in recent nominating contests.(提名選舉)



















With polls closing in West Virginia at 7:30 p.m., Mrs. Clinton appeared headed for a strong victory in the primary. In recent days, even Mr. Obama, who has not campaigned heavily in the state, has all but(否定語氣的but) conceded (讓步、認輸)the contest to her.

Given Mr. Obama’s leads in the popular vote and delegates, the West Virginia results are likely to have little practical effect on Mrs. Clinton’s chances at winning the nomination. Yet a Clinton victory in another general election battleground (戰場)state — like her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania this spring — could raise anew questions about Mr. Obama’s ability to take swing states in a contest against Senator John McCain in the fall.

Nearly two-thirds (大家可以注意2/3在英文如何表達,基數-序數(s) of West Virginia voters said in exit poll interviews, conducted throughout the state by Edison/Mitofsky, the economy was the most important issue facing the country, and they backed Mrs. Clinton by a 2-to-1 margin. About 9 in 10 voters say they were affected by the current economic slowdown, including nearly half who said they were affected a great deal. Mrs. Clinton was supported by about three-quarters (此為3/4的表現方式)of those most affected.

She also won the support of most voters under age 30, a group that has typically voted heavily for Mr. Obama throughout this election. She also edged out (排擠或險勝,此指險勝)Mr. Obama among college graduates and higher-income voters, also groups Mr. Obama has relied on.

The West Virginia electorate (全體選民)included 2 in 10 white voters who said race was an important factor in their vote and more than 8 in 10 of them backed Mrs. Clinton.

Yet Mr. Obama continued far outpacing (比…走的快,此指勝過)Mrs. Clinton in the battle for superdelegates — the party leaders who have a vote on the nomination — picking up four endorsements by midday. And in a sign of the diminished optimism in the Clinton camp, one of her staunchest loyalists, James Carville, said that Mr. Obama would probably be the Democratic nominee.

“I think it’s likely Obama is the nominee, but not certain,” said Mr. Carville, the Democratic strategist who worked for Mr. Clinton in the 1992 campaign and is close to the couple. “I would have preferred another result, but I’m going to be for him.”

Everybody is going to be with Obama,” he added, referring to Clinton staff and supporters. “I have an undated check written out for Obama. I’ll send it when this is over.”

Reflecting his view that the West Virginia primary was lost, Mr. Obama spent Tuesday campaigning in another battleground state, Missouri, which he carried narrowly against Mrs. Clinton this winter.

Heavy early voting could result in a larger than normal turnout in the West Virginia Democratic presidential primary, although state elections officials said poll workers reported an average turnout at most voting spots by the afternoon. Good weather across the state was also expected to boost turnout.

More than half of voters in West Virginia said they would be dissatisfied if Mr. Obama won the nomination. Half believe he shares the views of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Half said Mr. Obama is not honest and trustworthy, and half said he does not share their values.

When asked to select from a list of four candidate qualities that mattered most to the voters in deciding how they would vote, nearly half of the voters said the candidate’s ability to bring about change was paramount, while about a quarter said having the right experience was most important, about 1 in 5 chose the fact that the candidate cares about people like them and 1 in 10 decided based on the candidate’s ability to win in November.

Voters were most apt to say they were looking for a candidate who can bring about change, and as in previous contests, Mr. Obama won most of them. But Mrs. Clinton won more of them than she typically does, and she overwhelmingly won voters looking for someone with experience, someone who cares about them or someone who can win in November.

On electability, 6 in 10 voters said Mrs. Clinton has a better chance of beating Mr. McCain in November than Mr. Obama does. Indeed, in the heat of battle, fewer than 4 in 10 of Mrs. Clintons supporters said they would vote for Mr. Obama in November.

Bill Clinton’s campaigning in the state on behalf of his wife was a boost. About 6 in 10 voters said his campaigning was important in their vote, and they overwhelmingly backed Mrs. Clinton.

Patrick Healy and John Sullivan contributed reporting.

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