N.C. primary shapes up to be last big get

RALEIGH (AP) - Once expected to be little more than a victory lap, North Carolina’s presidential primary is suddenly a prize worth winning.

After Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s victories this week in Texas and Ohio, there will be no quick end to her race with Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. North Carolina’s primary on May 6 is second in size only to Pennsylvania among the 12 contests left, and the state’s 134 delegates will be the last triple-digit treasure for the two candidates to divide.

“They both need this state to push them into the convention,” said Hunter Bacot, the director of the Elon University poll. “North Carolina is now a must-win - the last big state - so a candidate can say that they have the momentum.”