Old Polarities Persist in Dem Race

Clinton was an early crossover figure in one sense blacks preferred her over Obama last year, while Obama was the pick of upper income whites.

But that changed after the Illinois senator scored a big win in mostly-white Iowa, and his movement was born.

In the South Carolina primary and beyond, blacks have powered his victories in states where they live in large numbers, joined by the young of any race and by white men in varying degrees.

Women are credited with reviving Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire and helping to drive her wins in Texas and Ohio.

David Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a black think tank, says Clinton probably lost more black support than she gained among whites when supporters such as her husband began dropping subtle race cards into the debate.

"It has shifted the black vote entirely into Obama's camp," he said, and so far without costing him equivalent white support. He estimated Clinton could have held on to a third of black votes absent tactics that he said drove them away. As it is, he's beaten her 83-15 percent among black voters, according to exit polls for The Associated Press.

That's not to say most of her supporters necessarily have a problem with a black candidate, he said.

"White women are supporting Hillary because she's a woman," he said. "It's not because Obama is black." She's held a 59-36 percent advantage among white women.

Racial divisions have been most evident in the South, although not exclusive to it.

A quarter of white voters in Mississippi's Democratic primary said race was important in their choices Tuesday, and they voted heavily for Clinton. Thirty-seven percent of blacks said race was important, and nearly all voted for Obama.