Choosing Hillary or Obama?

Last Modified: 04 Mar 2008
By: Sarah Smith, Jon Snow

It's a crucial day in the American presidential elections for the two Democratic rivals - Jon Snow is over in Ohio where the race hangs in the balance.

The pollsters are saying a dead heat in Texas and too close to call here in chilly Ohio. Hillary at least thinks that tonight she'll be staging a victory party : the polls are not so sure.

There has been no American Presidential primary season like it - at every stage there have been big surprises.

Yet the perceived wisdom here is that she must win Ohio and Texas in today's vote to stay in the race - and that if Obama wins - the contest for the democratic nomination is his to lose.

The election maths

Four states are holding contests today:

Texas and Ohio - the two biggest: and tiny Rhode Island and Vermont. In the Democratic race, these four states will send 370 delegates to the party's convention in August - pledged to vote for a particular candidate. These count towards the 2,025 needed to win.

But there are also 'Super' delegates, like democrat officials and representatives, who won't cast their 794 votes until the convention itself.

So far then, Senator Clinton has won 1,276 delegates and 14 states - Senator Obama 1,386 delegates and 23 states.

There are still 13 states to vote: it's so close, both are determined to fight on.

What do Texas' Good Ole Boys think?

'The surprised look of a man bitten by his own dog' is how the Washington Post described it - as the media abandoned its Barack Obama hero worship and confronted him with some tough questions.

The Sentator seemed strangely reluctant to respond to the grilling over his free trade policy, and the corruption trial of a key supporter.

It's all fuel for Hillary Clinton's fight-back in the states she's desperate to win - like Texas - where the race is neck and neck. Our Washington correspondent Sarah Smith reports.

Watch Sarah Smith's report.

The Ohio view

Well in Ohio with its large proportion of white working class voters it should have been natural Clinton territory - top concern is the economy: the crisis over bad mortgage debts has hit hard - and there's been a huge loss of manufacturing jobs.

But this has become the state Clinton needs to win - both she and Obama have given it everything but the weather may have the last word for either of them.

Watch Jon Snow's report.

More4 News: Hillary on The Daily Show

Kylie Morris is observing matters from New York - adopted home of the Clintons and reports on how Hillary Clinton turned to The Daily Show to boost her chances.

Watch Kylie Morris's report