Hillary Clinton (Won 60 of the state's 67 counties despite being outspent by Obama by 2-1 margin. The win gives Clinton momentum and money to carry on the fight for another couple of weeks.)
Gov. Ed Rendell (Spent most of his waking hours campaigning for Clinton across the state and kept his dream alive of joining the Clinton cabinet in 2009.)
Career Politicians (With one exception, every incumbent state lawmaker facing a primary opponent won on Tuesday. The Incumbent Protection Machine is alive and well in Harrisburg, where politicians routinely use taxpayer dollars to promote themselves via glossy newsletters, mock public affairs programs and "public service" commercials.)
John McCain (Clinton and Obama will continue to slug it out, weakening the eventual Democratic nominee for the fall contest.)
Remaining Contests (With Pennsylvania failing to crown a winner, the remaining Democratic contests -- primaries in North Carolina, Indiana, Oregon, Kentucky, West Virginia, Montana, South Dakota and Puerto Rico, and caucuses in Guam -- will have a say on who gets the party nomination.
LOSERS
Barack Obama (I guess those gun-toting, Bible-thumpers didn't take kindly to Obama's "bitter" remarks. Obama won big among blacks in Philadelphia and carried suburbs full of rich, white liberals, but got his can kicked in 60 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, where working-class white people live.)
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (Silent Bob's endorsement of Obama failed to sway voters.)
John Dougherty (Tons of money and big-name endorsements didn't help this Philadelphia union boss carry the 1st state Senate District.)
Gov. Ed Rendell (John Dougherty, Rendell's man to replace Vince Fumo, lost decisively in the 1st Senate District race.)
The Reform Movement (Only one incumbent Pennsylvania lawmaker lost a primary challenge. Noted reformer Russ Diamond failed to win against Mauree Gingrich in the 101st House Dist.)
Hillary Clinton (Obama won Philadelphia by 130,000 votes. If Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, chances are good that those 130,000 black voters will sit out the November election. Say hello to President John McCain.)
Pennsylvania Newspapers (Most of the state's newspapers endorsed the more liberal candidate, Sen. Obama, for president, but voters ignored their suggestions, once again questioning the influence of liberal-leaning newspaper editorial boards.)
Howard Dean (Because of the Democratic National Committee's system of awarding delegates proportionally, Clinton won 81 more delegates in Pennsylvania, but Obama won at least 70. Overall, Obama leads with 1,719.5 delegates. Clinton has 1,591.5 delegates, according to the Associated Press tally. That means Clinton and Obama will beat up on each other into May and June and July and August.)
Tony Phyrillas is a leading conservative political columnist and blogger based in Pennsylvania. He is a veteran journalist with 25 years experience as a reporter, editor and columnist for several newspapers. Phyrillas received recognition for column writing in 2010 from the Associated Press Managing Editors, in 2007 from Suburban Newspapers of America and in 2006 from the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter. A graduate of Penn State University, Phyrillas is the city editor and political columnist for The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa. In addition to The Mercury website (www.pottsmerc.com), his columns are featured on more than a dozen political websites and blogs. Phyrillas is a frequent guest (and occasional host) on talk radio and has been a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" public affairs TV program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Phyrillas was named one of the '10 Leading Greek-American Bloggers in the World' in 2007 by Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine. BlogNetNews.com ranked Phyrillas the Most Influential Political Blogger in Pennsylvania for three consecutive years (2007-2010). You can follow Phyrillas on Twitter @TonyPhyrillas
Cover
•
Commentary
•
Books & Reviews
•
Climate Change
•
Site Links
•
Feedback
