By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

 2:30 p.m. EST

PHILADELPHIA (Posted April 22, 2008) – The record number of new registered voters is expected to break numbers across Pennsylvania today, and Philadelphia is no exception.

There are more than 215,000 first-time voters here in Philly and they could determine who wins the states. Dems have registered more than 4.2 million statewide and feel confident they’ll show up at the polls.

This morning polling places in the metro area were reporting a study flow of voters and that held true in north Philadelphia at the North Lowell Elementary School.   Lynette Brennon, a retired African-American grandmother said she cast her vote in for the future.  “Right outside my home there are killings and drugs and we need a president like Barack Obama to make my grand kids life better.” 

There are 103 delegates at stake her in the Keystone State that will be awarded proportionally according to congressional districts vote totals and 55 at-large delegates awarded by statewide vote totals.  

Anthony Lowman, 44, an unemployed loan officer and veteran was handing out leaflet and asking folks to vote for Obama.  “I think he’ll get the troops out of Iraq sooner rather than later and he’ll help the homeless veterans, we have a lot of them here in Philly.”

Gregory Riley lives in southwest Philadelphia and is a laid off truck driver.  “That’s why  I’m voting for change,” he told me.  The husband and father said, “Obama seems to have  fresh ideas and he’s inspiring – sorta like [President John F. Kennedy] JFK.

The weather here is sunny and mild and will surely help turnout.  The polls close at 7 p.m., and exit results will soon follow.   I’ll keep you posted. 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

PHILADELPHIA  (Posted April 22, 2008) – Whether today’s Pennsylvania primary  is a close shave or a landslide, there’s one thing for sure: It will be a milestone in one of the longest primary races in the history of the Democratic nominating process.

Not many people are really expecting Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to defeat Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) – who has Pennsylvania roots (along with ties to Illinois, Arkansas and New York)  – but everyone is waiting to see if Clinton will be able to wallop her rival by taking more than 10 percent of the vote. Such a decisive victory – even though Clinton was up 20 to 30 percentage points not that long ago – makes it difficult to argue that she should surrender the fight. Her campaign would get a much-needed jolt at a time when it’s broke and lacks a clear plan for beating Obama, who has won more states, more delegates and more popular votes.

In downtown Philadelphia Monday, I passed Clinton and Obama supporters chanting on street corners and waving campaign signs for their presidential pick.

Two Clinton supporters, Trint Hagler, 27, from Dallas and Phyllis Beard, 37, from New York, traveled here to help get the vote out for today’s primary.  “She has real solutions for real problems,” Hagler said.

But in our unofficial survey of 10 random folks on the street, none of the Clinton supporters was from Philadelphia. Of the 10 people BET interviewed, four were Clinton supporters and six were for Obama.  But four Clinton supporters were from out of state and won’t be able to cast a vote in the Pennsylvania primary today.

Obama is expected to get the votes of most of the African Americans in this town, where Blacks make up 45 percent of the city’s population.  But the African-American mayor, Michael Nutter isn’t one of them.

Nutter told BET why he’s supporting Clinton. “When you look at Sen. Clinton’s record, when you look at her experience, when you understand all that she’s accomplished, it became clear to me that Sen. Clinton is the best candidate,” he said.

Ethan Fraser, a 19-year-old freshman political science major at Penn State University, doesn’t agree with Nutter.   “Obama is inspiring, and he inspires me – that one day I can be [running for president] in the same position,” he said.

Clinton is planning a victory rally in Philadelphia tonight, and Obama is heading to Indiana, where polls have the two candidates in a dead heat.