Special Report: U.S. presidential election 2008

Backgrounder: A look at contests won by Obama and Clinton 

    WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama's lead in the national poll has shrunk to zero after his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, won the Pennsylvania primary on April 22, said a poll released on Monday.

    According to the Gallup poll conducted on April 24 to 26, Illinois Senator Obama and New York Senator Clinton are now dead even at 47 percent among 1,240 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in South Bend, Indiana April 26, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    It was the second survey that has been made after Clinton's win on Tuesday in Pennsylvania with nearly 10 percentage points lead over Obama.

    These results "suggest that Democratic voters are -- for the moment at least -- divided right down the middle as to which candidate they most want to represent their party in November's general election," the poll says.

    The polling body also found in the latest survey conducted among national registered voters from April 22 to 26 that Clinton maintains her advantage over Republican presumptive presidential candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain, in the general election preferences at 47 percent to 44 percent.

    Obama and McCain are tied at 45 percent each, it added.

U.S. Senator and democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama waves to supporters as he is introduced during a campaign stop in Kokomo, Indiana April 25, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

Obama: race not factor in presidential election

    BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Struggling to win over more white Democratic voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama denied on Sunday that race would be a factor in determining the outcome of the presidential election in November, as Democrats mulled whether racial bias makes Hillary Clinton the better Democratic candidate. Full story

Clinton beats Obama in critical Pennsylvania primary

    WASHINGTON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- New York Senator Hillary Clinton won the critical Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania Tuesday, beating Senator Barack Obama of Illinois after a bruising seven-week campaign. Full story

Party chief pushes for end of presidential nominee race in June

    WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Democratic party chief urged on Monday either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama to drop the presidential nominee race early June to clear a way for the party to win the November national elections.  Full story