Potomac Primaries Could Swing Momentum

The Potomac Primaries are underway, as voters in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland go to the polls today.

After sweeping four primaries and caucuses over the weekend, Barack Obama is trying to maintain momentum against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic contest, which is marked by two candidates with strong environmental and energy plans.

John McCain, meanwhile, is still battling Mike Huckabee, who may not have a mathematical chance to win the Republican nomination, but is keeping up the fight with a loyal following among social conservatives. McCain has been the Republican's strongest supporter of action on global warming, though his overall voting record on environmental issues has not been celebrated among environmentalists. Huckabee has said he, like McCain, supports a cap-and-trade regulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

It's unlikely that these contests will end the race in either party, but more wins in Obama's column could give him a lasting surge, carrying him into Texas and Ohio, where Clinton is thought to hold an advantage. On the Republican side, additional Huckabee wins could solidify him as a leading candidate for vice president, or force McCain to continue to migrate toward the right to placate Huckabee supporters who are unconvinced of McCain's conservative credentials.

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