Women Could Give Clinton the Edge In Maine's Caucuses

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Clinton Stresses Party Principles in Speech to Virginians

Hillary Clinton makes an impassioned plea to Virginia democrats at the Jefferson Jackson dinner in Richmond, Va.

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"We're just not sure what's going to happen in Maine," said David Axelrod, Obama's top political adviser. "The whole region has been challenging for us."

At Clinton's rally in Orono on Saturday, on the campus of the University of Maine, she was introduced by state Rep. Emily Ann Cain, who talked of the importance of electing a female president. Clinton spoke at length about her plan for universal health care, an issue that carries particular resonance with women. She also spoke candidly of the significance of her run, casting herself as a typical working woman.

"A lot of people ask me, 'What difference would a woman president make?' Well, probably more than we can imagine. But I'll tell you one: I have lived the balance of work and family. I know how challenging it is for families," Clinton said.

But scores of older women also turned out for Obama in Bangor. Retiree Helen Locke, 69, arrived two hours early at the civic center with her friend Louisa Barnhart, 54, a psychiatrist, but they were too late for seats inside the 7,000-capacity arena. So they waited outside for Obama to arrive, securing positions along the police barricades.

Before he went in for the rally, Obama gave a four-minute version of his stump speech to the crowd out front. Afterward, he spent a few moments shaking hands, including Barnhart's and Locke's.

The two women had attended the Clinton rally in Orono but had come away unimpressed. "We think she kind of had canned things to say," Barnhart said.

Locke nodded in agreement. "I guess I am one of her targets. But he's the only one I see as a change to what we've got now."