Voter Turnout Brisk in Ind., N.C.

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Voting Under Way in North Carolina Primary

Voters in North Carolina are casting their ballots in that state's primary. Democrat Barack Obama has led in the polls there, but Hillary Clinton has narrowed that lead.

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Touring the facility with racer Sarah Fisher, Clinton posed for pictures with Fisher's car and pit crew, the Associated Press reported. Asked what her message was, the second-term New York senator said, "That we need to get on the track in America."

Alluding to the abbreviations for Democrats and Republicans, she remarked: "If you want to go forward, you put it in D. If you want to go backward, you put it in R."

Fisher, a Clinton supporter who said she voted for the former first lady this morning, interjected, "And just so you know, we don't have reverse in this car."

Seeking to keep her comeback hopes alive, Clinton spent part of Monday stumping in North Carolina, a state she was once expected to lose decisively. Sensing an opportunity to gain ground there amid a controversy over the comments of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Obama's former pastor, Clinton campaigned vigorously, promoting her support for a summer moratorium on the federal gasoline tax and other economic initiatives.

"I'm running a campaign on a simple belief: This election is about jobs, jobs, jobs," Clinton told a crowd at a train station in High Point, N.C.

Obama publicly repudiated remarks by Wright last week as "outrageous" and "destructive." In an April 28 news conference in Washington, Obama's former pastor defended the fiery sermons that have become a political liability for the Democratic presidential contender, charging that a furor over his remarks represents an "attack on the black church."

In a policy disagreement with Clinton, Obama denounced the proposal for a "gas tax holiday" as a gimmick that would not give consumers much of a break while taking money away from needed road and bridge repairs. The proposal also is supported by Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who has locked up the Republican nomination for president.

"It's a stunt," Obama said of the proposal during an appearance in Evansville, Ind. "It's what Washington does."

After today's primaries, six more contests remain on the Democratic nominating schedule. West Virginia holds a primary May 13 with 28 pledged delegates at stake, and Kentucky and Oregon hold primaries May 20 with a total of 103 delegates up for grabs. Voters in Puerto Rico go to the polls June 1 to determine the allotment of the territory's 55 pledged delegates. The primary season then concludes with contests June 3 in Montana and South Dakota, which offer 31 pledged delegates combined.