Defeat and victory have made the road between the two Democratic candidates, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, bumpy, especially after Clinton claimed a victory in Pennsylvania, beating out Obama after a laborious and rigorous six-week campaign.

The final decision as to who will become the Democratic candidate will be revealed soon. Although Sen. McCain remains in the running for President, it appears that he will not take the lead in the general election, especially considering President Bush’s track record in the White House and Congress. The public is certainly ready for a change, and they have made it clear, as Clinton and Obama are in the lead in several national polls. Clinton’s big Pennsylvania victory follows her wins in Ohio, New York, Texas, and California.

Although Clinton won the Pennsylvania Primary, Obama is still ahead in the race for the Democratic candidacy. With about 99 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton was leading Obama by 10 percentage points. Obama came up short, losing Pennsylvania by a close margin.

Despite several big-state wins, Clinton has yet to establish a significant lead over Obama. According to CNN’s latest count, not only does Obama lead in the delegate counts (1,694 to 1,556), but he also leads in the popular vote and the number of states won so far this primary season.

Obama’s main supporters are African- Americans and young voters. Obama drew more than 90 percent of the vote among Pennsylvanian African-American voters, most of whom are heavily concentrated around Philadelphia. African-Americans made up approximately 14 percent of Pennsylvania’s primary turnout. In contrary, for Clinton, Caucasians made up approximately 80 percent. Clinton also had the support of older voters, with 61 percent of those ages 65 and older voting for Clinton. Although, Clinton may sporadically win key primaries, it appears that Obama has a definite lead over Clinton and is headed toward the Democratic candidacy.