Hilary Clinton

DENVER—Bill Perkins, one of the first New York elected officials to endorse Barack Obama, jumped out of his seat and let out an ear-piercing whistle as Hillary Clinton addressed party unity in a speech to the New York delegation this morning.

“I think she hit a home run,” he said when I asked him about the speech later; he also called it “a transformational expression of support.” Perkins went on, “If that enthusiasm continues, then it’s done and she gets credit for moving [her supporters] into the victory column.”

Hilary Clinton made it well known during her primary campaign against Barack Obama that she was from Scranton and Lackawanna County. Clinton’s “home-roots” helped her with 74% of the vote in the county compared to the 55% she was able to muster state-wide. Obama’s pick of Joseph Biden, who also was born in the region, could go a long ways towards bridging the gap that could have existed from an pro-Hillary area.

Scranton is the state’s 6th largest city and a key battleground area for Democrats. A strong showing in Lackawanna County goes a long way in helping any Democrat win state-wide. John Kerry won Lackawanna County in 2004 with 56% of the vote while winning the state with 51% and Al Gore won the county with 60% and also won 51% in the state.