With polls showing Hillary still favored to win Pennsylvania (as always predicted, even by Obama's own spreadsheet) all eyes will jump ahead to North Carolina and Indiana.
But aren't we forgetting something?
That's right, Guam! That island in the Western Pacific Ocean with a population around 175,000.
Just as Hillary has always been favored to win Pennsylvania, Obama has been the favorite to win Guam's 9 delegates.
Why is this important? Because the Hillary team is sure to make hay (as they should) over a victory in Pennsylvania. An Obama win in Guam will serve as a "buffer" between Pennsylvania and the important May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina. With a Guam victory, Obama will head into those two states having WON the most recent contest just 3 days earlier and with momentum!
It's clear Obama knows this and isn't taking Guam for granted:
On Monday, KUAM reported:
Today is the first full day of operations for the Guam campaign headquarters of Democrat presidential nominee hopeful Barack Obama. The headquarters, located in Hagatna, officially opened its doors on Sunday afternoon, as Obama and Hillary Clinton rely on the outcome of the delegate caucus on Guam as each candidate wants all 9 of the island's delegate votes.
Volunteer Carlo Dizon says they'll be heading out to island school's soon to get Senator Obama's messages to the youth, telling KUAM News, "We're actually going around the island because a lot of Senator Obama's success in the States has been based on support of youth throughout the country. So we're trying to bring that to Guam."
And from the Pacific Daily News:
Annette Diola said she wasn't even following the presidential campaigns until she received an e-mail from local Obama supporters passing the word on the senator's vision for Guam.
"It's kind of like we're just extra space in America, like we're this reservoir," she said. "For someone at Obama's capacity to reach out to Guam like that and say we're not just extra land for the military is inspiring."
Diola is now working as a volunteer intern for the local campaign and is the group's UOG liaison. Yesterday, she stood among seasoned island Democrats like former Gov. Carl Gutierrez, Sen. Ben Pangelinan and Vice Speaker David Shimizu during the campaign office's grand opening in Hagåtña.
Field Director Ria Baldevia was working with the national campaign in Hawaii and Texas when she was told Obama wanted to open an office on Guam. The Southern High School graduate said she was practically on the next flight to Guam when she was approached to help open the office.
"Barack Obama is a candidate for change," she told the crowded audience. "He's acknowledging that Guam's vote is important and that Guam residents are important in selecting the democratic nominee."
Of course, Hillary's camp will scoff at the notion that a Guam win means anything at all. They will says things like, "Guam can't even vote in the general election" or "Guam isn't even a state for crying our loud."
But it's a win ... and it'll be just three days before Indiana and North Carolina!
Go Guam!