Clinton says margin won't matter for a Pennsylvania victory

"I don't think the margin matters" in today's vote, she said on NBC's "Today Show." "A win is a win."

Trailing rival Barack Obama nationally in pledged delegates and in the popular vote, Clinton sought to downplay expectations about her prospects in Pennsylvania -- where she once held a two-digit lead in the polls -- which have now narrowed.

Noting that Obama has outspent her 4 to 1, Clinton said if Obama doesn't win Pennsylvania, "what does that say about his ability to win the big states that a Democrat has to win in order to win the White House?"

Obama countered that he is counting on Pennsylvanians to vote for the candidate who can win in November against Republican John McCain.

"I think it should be about who's going to win in November and I think that's going to be me," he said. Despite Clinton's primary victories in states like California and New York, Obama added, "If anybody thinks that I'll lose California or New York in the general election -- there's no chance of that happening."

As the bitterly contested six-week campaign in Pennsylvania ends, and the spin begins over who won and why, the increasingly negative tone of television ads and debating points also drew comment from the candidates.

Clinton, who lost the support of former Labor Secretary Robert Reich over her negative ads against Obama in Pennsylvania, defended them, saying "any issue is fair game." Complaining that the Obama camp's ads have been "far more negative" than hers, Clinton said on CBS' "Early Show" that "anybody who knows what we're going to be up against in the fall against the Republicans understands that if we don't contest each other in the primary, we're in for a big surprise."

Asked about Clinton's comment that Obama's ads were more negative than hers, the Illinois senator said: "I'm sure she'd say that. But I don't think there's any objective observer out there who would make that same argument."

Saying that Clinton's "got to be heavily favored to win" Pennsylvania, Obama said he is hoping his "uphill" campaign will discredit the negative ads.

"This is an example of, sort of, politics as being all about tactics and process and attack and counterattack, as opposed to solving problems," he said on the CBS show. "I'm making a bet that the American people are sick and tired of that kind of politics."