Clinton, Obama and surrogates start final swings through Pa. before primary; here's local coverage

Given the six-week gap between the Mississippi primary and Pennsylvania's primary on Tuesday, the Keystone State has seen plenty of the two Democratic candidates — and their surrogates — on TV, in the newspaper and in person. Still, the campaign has not lost its excitement, especially in the state's small towns. Here is some recent coverage from local sources:

In Williamsport (pop. 30,000), the Sun-Gazette reports that the 2,000 tickets available for Obama's stop today were scooped up in 90 minutes. Obama will speak at Lycoming College's Lamade Gymnasium, where the Clinton campaign has made two stops in the past month: Bill Clinton on March 29, and actor Sean Astin on April 11. Earlier today, Obama spoke in Erie, and The Times-News has full coverage (including video) of that event. He's set to begin a whistle-stop tour from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, after his big event in Philly tonight.

Johnstown (pop. 24,000) on the Allegheny Plateau has seen all of the Clintons — Bill, Chelsea and Hillary — at least once. The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reported on Chelsea Clinton's appearance there on April 15, and Hillary Clinton has a visit planned for Sunday. Sen. Barack Obama played to a packed house at Greater Johnstown High's gym, the same place Bill Clinton had spoken just two weeks earlier. And the town of 20,000 has even drawn former Bush adviser Karl Rove in recent weeks.

In nearby Altoona (pop. 50,000), Obama's "bitter" comments drew some positive and negative responses, reports the Altoona Mirror. Steelworkers at one of 11 events organized by the Obama campaign said they were bitter about tough economic times, while Clinton supporters demonstrated their anger over the comments by holding signs that read "I'm not bitter," “Hillary will fight for us” and “Obama snubs Pennsylvania.”

In the last week, Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of 100 Pennsylvania mayors. In addition to nods from Philadelphia's and Pittsburgh's mayors, she picked up the support from many small-town mayors, including the one in Sharon (pop. 17,000), where former presidential hopeful Tom Vilsack campaigned on her behalf two weeks ago, reports The Herald.

Here are some other odds and ends from Pennsylvania:

• Sen. Ted Kennedy spoke with the Lancaster New Era about what superdelegates should do.
• The Beaver County Times notes how local volunteers make this national race go.
• The Centre Daily Times asked readers to respond to Obama's rural remarks; they have receive more than 4,000 responses so far.
• The Altoona Mirror found area voters were frustrated by this week's debate.
  
• And for all things related to Tuesday's vote, go to www.thepennsylvaniaprimary.com
  

.