The two candidates are winding up for the coming primary in the populous state of Pennsylvania on April 22. A CNN poll released on Monday showed Clinton's 14-percent lead over Obama in the blue-collar-riched state.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton (L) speaks with a supporter at a town hall meeting in Indianapolis March 29, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) 

Although being left behind in the national polls and demanded by Obama's supporters to drop out the race, the former First Lady insisted that she would continue with the campaign to the Democratic presidential nomination convention late August.

However, Democratic leaders have urged for an earlier end of the presidential race for fear the tie between Obama and Clinton would split the party and compromise its odds-on in the November general elections.

The Gallup's poll also showed a virtue tie between both Democratic hopefuls and the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, who led Obama by 46 percent to 45 percent and beat Clinton by 47 percent to 45 percent.

The poll has an error margin of 3 percentage points.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2008)