Obama stretches national lead by 10 points

US: HILLARY CLINTON is ahead by five points in Pennsylvania, where Democrats vote on April 22nd, but Barack Obama has a 10-point…

US:HILLARY CLINTON is ahead by five points in Pennsylvania, where Democrats vote on April 22nd, but Barack Obama has a 10-point national lead, according to polls published yesterday.

Mrs Clinton has seen her lead in Pennsylvania shrink in recent days as Mr Obama has outspent her in the state by a margin of three to one. Mr Obama has spent $3.6 million on television adverts in Pennsylvania, compared to only $1.3 million from Mrs Clinton.

Mr Obama's fundraising advantage (he raised $40 million last month compared to Mrs Clinton's $20 million) has allowed him to run more than 100,000 TV adverts during the primary campaign so far. Mrs Clinton has run some 60,000 but in 2004, when John Kerry won the Democratic nomination, he ran only 19,000.

Mrs Clinton received a financial boost last night when an Elton John benefit concert in New York sold out, netting her campaign $2.5 million.

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The former first lady won praise yesterday from Elisabeth Edwards, whose husband John has not yet endorsed either candidate. Mrs Edwards said that Mrs Clinton's healthcare plan had a better chance than Mr Obama's of ensuring that Americans receive healthcare coverage.

Denis Staunton

Denis Staunton

Denis Staunton is China Correspondent of The Irish Times