No big surprises here last night -- it was another clean sweep for No big surprises here last night -- it was another clean sweep for Barack Obama, and one that confirmed much of what we already know about the dynamics of the Democratic race. In Virginia, Obama's margin of victory shrank from 27 to 10 points among the fifth of the Democratic electorate who said they were "falling behind" economically. In Maryland, however, that same group supported Obama more heavily than those who said they were doing better economically. But Maryland's electorate was more heavily African American than Virginia's. In short, it does seem that Obama continues to have room to grow in his appeal to non-black working class voters feeling the recession pinch. Those voters will be a huge part of the battles for Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania. In both Maryland and Virginia, Obama won among white men while losing among white women. Promoting women's leadership appears to be a significant concern for a proportion of the female Democratic electorate. Among Virginia voters who decided on primary day whom to vote for, Clinton eked out a 3 point lead, suggesting that when in doubt, many people fall back on the familiar brand name. --Dana Goldstein
