8 Questions That Will Shape Where the Race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination Goes From Here

Second, she must also finish the primaries ahead of or nearly tied with Obama in the popular vote. Because she cannot take a lead in pledged delegates and because Obama will have won more states by the end of the primaries and caucuses, she will need the popular-vote edge to give uncommitted superdelegates a rationale to deny Obama the nomination.

At this point she is more than 700,000 votes behind -- more than 400,000 if the Florida results (but not those from Michigan) are included. She will need big victories in Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Kentucky and West Virginia to come close. But without new voting in Michigan and Florida, her chances of winning the popular vote are greatly diminished.

Third, Clinton must emerge in national polls as a stronger candidate against John McCain. Clinton has gained ground in recent polls, but the superdelegates will look at the polls in June, not March, before making their decisions.

Finally, Clinton must persuade uncommitted superdelegates to deny the nomination to the candidate who has more pledged delegates. But to side with her would almost certainly offend African Americans, the party's most loyal constituency. How many superdelegates will be prepared for that?

What's not clear is whether Clinton can accomplish all this without a much more negative campaign -- and that could prompt rebukes from party leaders and calls for Democrats to coalesce around Obama.

Has Obama successfully dealt with the controversy over the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.?

4. Democrats say his Philadelphia speech last Tuesday may have accomplished what he needed to keep his advantage in the nomination battle. Republicans -- and Democrats -- say that, if he is the nominee, he will need to do more to minimize its potential to harm his chances of winning the White House.

"He has been very successful in both broadening the debate and changing the subject," Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said. "But the Republicans will be bringing it back."

Democratic strategist Steve Murphy said: "The Wright controversy is over in the contest for the nomination. In the general election, Obama will find it necessary to more forcefully renounce Wright's anti-American statements about 9/11."

"In the national press? Yes," a Democratic strategist wrote. "Among blue collar voters, I don't think so. They're not racist but they don't necessarily want to talk about these topics. The speech he gave would be a great speech for a president to give. Unclear to me whether it's a great speech for a candidate to give."

"Not by a long shot," Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said. "A good speech doesn't take the place of Obama's impaired judgment on this issue."

Another Democrat said Obama took the controversy off the front pages but could be vulnerable to the kind of "Swift boat" attack that so badly damaged John Kerry's candidacy four years ago.