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By Christina Bellantoni
April 23, 2008

Presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, chat with voters at Pamela's diner in Pittsburgh yesterday before heading to Evansville, Ind., to watch the primary results.

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The battle over "bitter" is bleeding into the electorate, with all signs pointing to more ugly fights before the next Democratic presidential contests.

Polarized Pennsylvania voters yesterday mirrored the sentiment among Democrats nationwide — with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's and Sen. Barack Obama's supporters standing firm with their choices and suggesting that they wouldn't back the other — signaling a dangerously divisive race for the Democrats in the weeks to come.

The razor-sharp negative campaign — increasing in nastiness by the day — has some Democratic leaders worried and has prompted party officials this week to scrap debate plans in advance of the next primaries.

Complicating the issue as Mrs. Clinton started to close in on Mr. Obama's popular vote lead was his inability to win over Pennsylvania's seniors, white males and blue-collar voters. It's a major warning sign that gives Mrs. Clinton wide room to argue that she would be the better Democratic nominee, even though her possible path to winning remains difficult.

Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, meanwhile, can sit back and enjoy the spectacle of the Democrats bloodying each other for at least the next few weeks and, potentially, into the summer.

As the dust settles and the Democrats move on to Indiana — where she is favored for the May 6 contest but polls are tightening — and North Carolina, which he is expected to win, Mrs. Clinton will say the Pennsylvania result bolsters her claim she is "tested."

Exit polls showed an alarming chasm between the two Democrats — with only half of Clinton voters saying they would back Mr. Obama should he win the nomination. One-quarter of Clinton voters would back Mr. McCain while 19 percent said they would stay home in November entirely.

Of Obama supporters, 67 percent said they would support Mrs. Clinton if she earns the party nod, 17 percent would back the Republican senator and 12 percent would not vote.

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