The big remaining question

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outwardly resolute. In a conference call with reporters on May 7th, Mrs Clinton’s aides said they were happy with her win in Indiana. They insisted that there has been no discussion of quitting. Mrs Clinton has lent her campaign $6.4m in the past month, and is now dipping into the hefty pool of assets she holds jointly with her husband. Her aides no longer talk about winning the popular vote; instead they are banking on the race still being “very close” after the final primaries on June 3rd.

If Mrs Clinton soldiers on, many Democrats are hoping that she will soften her attacks on the party’s likely nominee. Who knows? He might even pick her as his running-mate. Meanwhile,

Mr Obama has plenty of other things to worry about.

He is on the verge of proving that a black man can win the Democratic nomination. But winning the presidency is a different matter. The national electorate is whiter and more conservative than the Democratic one. And there is no precedent for what Mr Obama is attempting: no major party has ever offered voters a black presidential nominee. So it is anyone’s guess what might happen. But one thing is sure: race will matter.

Mr Obama presents himself as admirably post-racial. Many voters see him that way, but some do not.

Some 90% of blacks voted for him in Indiana and North Carolina. His margin of victory among blacks has increased from about 60 points in the early primaries to more than 80 in later ones, notes Jay Cost of RealClearPolitics.com, a political website. This colossal gap can hardly be attributed to the policy differences between the two candidates, which are small.

In Indiana last week, 29% of blacks told exit pollsters that the candidate’s race was important to them. The true figure may be even higher, however. “It matters. He gives our children hope. He’s a role model,” said Estelle Brantley, a black teacher, as she waited for Mr Obama to appear in Indianapolis. She and her friends then burst into a chorus of “Give the people what they want”, an uplifting song by the O’Jays.