SNEAK PEEK: Texas Two Step and the Buckeye State Clash

March 03, 2008— -- March 4– Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont primaries

370 Democratic delegates at stake

256 Republican delegates at stake

It's been a long two weeks since the last voting day (anyone remember the Wisconsin primary?). And if anyone thought Hillary Clinton was going to wave the white flag of surrender after the 11th consecutive victory for Barack Obama, well they are certainly singing a different tune today.

Clinton has sharpened her attacks on the stump, released an ad suggesting that Obama is not ready to be president (and rejected his characterization of her campaign as "desperate," ABC News' Jake Tapper reports), and loosened up a bit in front of a live studio audience on Saturday Night Live. She is certainly not looking like a candidate on the verge of dropping out.

Despite Clinton's "in it to win it" attitude, the speculation on "if and when she will drop out" continues and puts expectations and pressure squarely on her shoulders (despite efforts by her campaign to paint Tuesday's contests as must-wins for Obama.)

Figuring out how Tuesday will play out is almost like reading a "Choose Your Own Adventure" novel, with several possibilities:

-- If Clinton wins Texas and Ohio, turn to page 15 for what she will do next (The story continues, more dueling conference calls! Clinton fights on through the Pennsylvania primary on April 22 and the battle for the undecided superdelegates gets even more heated)

-- If Clinton wins one out of two, turn to page 37 (She still fights on! But starts to feel a bit of pressure to get out – especially if it's a close win and less-close loss and if Obama builds a larger lead in the delegate count. Where the win and loss occur will also play a factor in where the story goes – her campaign is expecting a tight race in Texas but feel good about a single digit win in Ohio.)

-- If Clinton goes 0-2 in Texas and Ohio, turn to page 94. (Cue the post-mortems, get ready for the undecided superdelegates to start announcing their support for Obama and eagerly await the RNC emails on Obama's experience.)

Things to look for in Tuesday's key Democratic primaries:

Texas

-- They aren't calling it the Texas Two Step for nothing – on Tuesday, there are 193 Democratic delegates at stake in Texas in a primary and a caucus. Two-thirds (126 delegates) will be awarded proportional based on the primary results and the remaining one-third (67) will be awarded proportionally through a caucus that begins Tuesday night.

-- Given the quirks in the Texas delegate selection process, it is possible that Clinton could finish ahead in the Texas popular vote and still just break even or possibly lose the delegate count (as she did in Nevada).

If this happens, the race will be thrown into ambiguity since her allies will likely want to spin any win as a victory while her critics will argue that she should step aside because she is not going to catch Obama in pledged delegates.

Ohio

-- The state has an open primary, which could favor Obama, and party officials expect that turnout will be strong.

-- Pocketbook issues are obviously critical in Ohio but how will "NAFTA-gate" play out in Tuesday's primary? Has the Clinton campaign been able to push the issue in a way that it resonates with voters or it is too inside baseball for anyone outside the campaign press corps and the Beltway?

-- Could Ohio end up looking like Wisconsin, with Obama scoring big wins in urban areas that will trump her support across the state?

-- Party officials say to keep an eye on Southwest Ohio where there is an emerging Democratic voter that is upper middle class, educated, white collar and new to the party. These voters were not there in 2004 when John Kerry narrowly lost the state to President Bush and could be a source of support for Obama.

Plan your Tuesday night around…

7:00 PM ET POLL CLOSING

VERMONT - Democratic Primary - open

VERMONT - Republican Primary - open

7:30 PM ET POLL CLOSINGOHIO - Democratic Primary - open

OHIO - Republican Primary - open

9:00 PM ET POLL CLOSING

TEXAS - Democratic Primary (open) and Caucus

TEXAS - Republican Primary - open

RHODE ISLAND - Democratic Primary – open to independents who affiliate at polls

RHODE ISLAND - Republican Primary – open to independents who affiliate at polls

Clinton follows up her Saturday Night Live cameo with a satellite appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight. And if you are awake to catch The Daily Show, stay up an extra 30 minutes and log on to www.abcnews.com for the latest ABC News/Washington Post election poll, released at 12:01am ET. (http://abcnews.com/pollingunit)

On the campaign trail…

JOHN MCCAIN

-- 9:45 am ET: Meet with voters at event, San Antonio, TX

-- 10:45 am ET: Holds media availability with voters, San Antonio, TX

-- 1:15 pm ET: Holds town hall meeting with voters, Houston, TX

-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends primary night event with voters, Dallas, TX

MIKE HUCKABEE

-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends primary night event with voters, Irving, TX

As for the Democrats…

BARACK OBAMA

-- Attends primary night event with voters, San Antonio, TX

HILLARY CLINTON

-- Attends primary night event with voters, Columbus, OH

At the White House…

PRESIDENT BUSH

-- 10:25 am ET: Participates in presentation of the Annual Report to the Nation by the Boy Scouts of America, Washington, DC

-- 10:50 am ET: Meets with King Abdullah of Jordan, Washington, DC

-- 12:00 pm ET: Hosts social luncheon with King and Queen of Jordan, Washington, DC

POLITICAL NEWS STORIES AT ABCNEWS.COMABC News' Jennifer Parker, Teddy Davis and Kate Snow Report: Obama Campaign Disputes Anti-Trade Rhetoric LINK

ABC News' Brian Ross and Avni Patel Report: Obama: A Role in the Rezko Trial? LINK

ABC News' Eric Johnson Reports: Obama: 'How Do You Know Any President Is Ready?' LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Like Ships from a Sinking Rat LINK

ABC News' Mike Elmore Reports: Six More Guvs Back McCain LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Clinton: 'I'm Doing Everything I Can' LINK

ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper Report: Clinton: 'I'm Just Getting Warmed Up' and NAFTA LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: NAFTA SHAFTA LINK

ABC News' Tahman Bradley Reports: Limbaugh Caller Says Obama Reminds Daughter of Cartoon Monkey LINK

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Clinton Response Ad LINK

ABC News' Kevin Chupka Reports: Huckabee: No Plan for 'What Ifs' LINK

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Clinton: The Dramatization Is Working LINK

ABC News' Kevin Chupka Reports: Fun & Games on the Huckaplane LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Primary Haikus LINK

POLITICAL VIDEO AT ABCNEWS.COMTed Danson 'Cheers' for Hillary

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen by Clinton's side while traveling to Toledo, Ohio. LINK

Clinton Fires Back at Obama in Ad

Clinton releases ad response to Obama ad accusing the NY Sen. of not reading NIE LINK

Hasselbeck: Steinhem's Speech Is 'Pure Evil'

Gloria Steinhem's comments about Sen. John McCain offend "View" co-host. LINK

Candidates Feel Paternal Force

The presidential front-runners open up about the effect felt by their fathers. LINK

Pre-Primary Democratic Strategies

George Stephanopoulos gives his bottom line before Texas and Ohio cast votes. LINK

Obama Exclusive: 'Hillary Got Desperate'

The Democratic front-runner discusses his competition before primaries. LINK

Do-Or-Die Primaries

Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton gear up for Tuesday's important contest. LINK

Pressure Mounts for Clinton

Hillary Clinton faces increased pressure to win Tuesday or end her campaign. LINK

Potential End Game for Clinton

Time magazine's Mark Halperin discuses the Clinton campaign's future. LINK

For Clinton, It's Win or Go Home

Clinton has staked her candidacy on wins in Texas and Ohio on Tuesday. LINK

Dems Do the Texas Two-Step

Both Clinton and Obama struggle to adapt to the complicated Texas primary rules. LINK

This Week's Roundtable

George Will, Donna Brazile, Matthew Dowd and David Brooks LINK

Richardson: Dem Bickering Ends After Tues.

Calls for resolution to Clinton/Obama battles. Watch "This Week's Sunday Sound." LINK

Clinton vs. Obama on Health Care

The Democrats may have similar plans, but there are also some big differences. LINK

Hillary's Final Fight

Hillary Clinton prepares for a showdown in the Ohio and Texas primaries. LINK

Obama on the Trail

With only two days until the primaries, Obama tries to hold on to his lead. LINK