For the first time in a generation, Pennsylvanians will cast meaningful votes in a presidential primary.
That's the good news.
The victories by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D., N.Y.) on Tuesday in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island justify carrying on with her campaign, although she still trails Sen. Barack Obama (D., Ill.) in the delegate count. As Obama said, Clinton has proved to be a tenacious campaigner.
Pennsylvania is the next big prize for the Democrats, on April 22. Obama and Clinton will inundate us with enough personal appearances and TV commercials to turn the Keystone State, in the words of a Clinton aide, into "the new Iowa."
In other words, the political circus is coming to town. That's the bad news. However, it will give voters here a rare opportunity to see the candidates up close.
On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain of Arizona capped an inspirational comeback to win the GOP nomination. This Editorial Board disagrees with McCain on some key issues, especially the war in Iraq. But he received our endorsement because he was the strongest, most qualified candidate in the Republican field.
Pennsylvania's front-row seat to this historic battle between Clinton and Obama is undeniably exciting. But the cold, hard mathematics of the delegate count show that Clinton's bid remains a long shot. After balloting in 40 states, Obama leads Clinton by more than 100 delegates. Even if Clinton wins most of the remaining states (including Pennsylvania) by big margins, it's nearly impossible for her to overtake Obama in the number of pledged delegates.
This Editorial Board endorsed Obama prior to New Jersey's Democratic primary on Feb. 5. Since then, he has shown himself to be worthy of that endorsement. Obama's ability to attract younger voters, his cross-party appeal, and his relentless optimism promise a brighter future for this country.
Clinton has succeeded lately in raising questions about whether Obama is prepared to become commander in chief. His challenge is to persuade voters that he's ready. Obama will likely get plenty of chances as he handles the confrontational media questioning that intensified in recent days.
For the first time since 1976, Pennsylvania becomes a primary proving ground. Voters are anxious to hear what Clinton and Obama would do about the faltering economy, about soaring gas and food prices, about a costly war.
There is talk in the opposing camps of the campaign getting ugly from here on out. What Pennsylvanians don't need is seven weeks of negative ads, and seven weeks of two highly qualified candidates trying to tear each other down. Obama and Clinton should give Pennsylvanians the kind of meaningful campaign voters have been waiting 32 years to see.