I was hoping that Sen. Bob Casey Jr. would endorse Obama, and now he has. It’s probably the most valuable endorsement that Obama could get in the Keystone State because Casey Jr. is most popular among the demographic/ideological/geographical groups where Obama is weakest. Casey’s base is made up of Catholics, and lower class men that used to work in the steel mills around Pittsburgh and in the Lehigh Valley. Obama needs to cut into Clinton’s lead in those areas of the state in order to pull out a victory based mainly on the vote from Philadelphia, the Philly suburbs, and Pittsburgh.
The last time the state had a competitive state wide primary was in 2002 when Casey and Rendell faced off in the gubernatorial race. Rendell won, but he only carried ten counties. And the ten counties that Rendell won are the same ten counties where Obama is likely to win.
As Obama sets out on a six-day bus tour of the state, it will be very helpful to him to have Sen. Casey in his entourage introducing him to party leaders and the people. It’s also a somewhat surprising development because Casey is usually a much more cautious politician than this. Apparently, his four daughters helped convince him to go with Obama.