One week down ...

One week down, six to go.

Welcome to the center of the political universe.

Pennsylvania will go to the polls on April 22. It could hold the key to who wins the Democratic nomination and gets to tangle with Republican nominee Sen. John McCain in the fall.

Click here for an overview of how all this will play out here in Delaware County.

Candidates and their political machines are wasting no time getting into the state.

Former President Bill Clinton held a rally at Penn State Brandywine on Friday along with U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont.

Hillary Clinton will roar into the state tonight, paying a visit to her father’s hometown of Scranton. She’ll also be in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. She’s holding a rally at Temple University Tuesday night.

By the way, Sestak also will find himself in the spotlight during all this primary madness. That’s because he is one of the so-called superdelegates.

Many experts now believe that neither Clinton nor Obama will be able to win enough delegates to sew up the nomination. The fear is a brokered convention decided on the floor by the superdelegates. Sestak, who served in Bill Clinton’s administration, is committed to the former first lady.

One other thing to keep a close eye on. The battle for votes is one thing, but equally as important is the battle for registrations.

Both camps are conducting massive voter registration drives, both to enlist first-time voters, as well as Independents who must re-register with a specific party choice in order to be able to take part in the primary.

One source at the Election Bureau in the Media Courthouse indicated the Obama camp asked for 5,000 voter registration forms.

Also in play will be Republicans who switch their registration to Democratic so they can take part in the Democratic primary, then switch back to the GOP in the fall. Exactly which side they are likely to back in the Dem donnybrook, the idea being they would vote for the person their guy, McCain, would be most likely to defeat, is not clear.

Not to be left out of the all the fun, McCain is due in the county on Friday for a rally at Springfield Country Club. You might remember that early in the race, it appeared that Rudy Giuliani was the local GOP’s guy. They’ve now closed ranks behind the Arizona senator.

We made it through week one. Buckle your seat belt. It’s going to be a bumpy, six-week political thrill ride.

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