There’s a strange dichotomy going on with the hype surrounding the Pennsylvania Primary.

All we hear locally is about a surge in voter registrations as people scramble to take part in the Democratic donnybrook.

Democrats soared over the 4 million mark in the state, pushed by interest in the fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Clearly voters, Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike are looking to have their voice heard.

The situation locally mimics the trend statewide, with a huge influx in new registrations, with the majority of them signing up as Democrats.

The polls tell us Clinton is now expanding her lead on the senator from Illinois, and is appeared headed for a big win. The demographic for the state certainly bodes well for her. Pennsylvania is dominated by older voters, with strong union ties.

A win would cement Clinton’s calling card, her mantra that she wins the big delegate states the party must win to take the White House in November. This despite the fact that she trails Obama in delegates and popular votes.

Obama is expected to do well in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Clinton winning big in the more rural areas.

Once again the big battleground will be the Philadelphia suburbs, including Delaware County.

And so we have a one-month duel to the death across the Keystone State.

Contrast that to the message that’s becoming more and more clear every day on the national front, where many experts are insisting the race is “over,” that there’s no way Clinton can win.

More and more, you hear pleas for her to consider throwing in the towel for the good of the party. The last thing most Democratic leaders want is to head to the convention with a battle royal looming, all of this playing out while Republicans simply sit back and await for a bloodied, bruised foe to emerge.

It turns out Pennsylvania might not be the fulcrum it appears to be. It’s now for the most part being conceded to Clinton. Of course it’s now not enough for her to win the state, she needs to win big. If she doesn’t, the volume will be turned up on the calls for her to get out.

The extent to which Clinton finds herself under siege may play a role in a seeming turnaround in her stance on the controversial comments made by Obama’s pastor. After trying to distance herself from such talk, Clinton waded into the fray yesterday, saying she would have handled the situation differently had that been her minister.

After Pennsylvania, all eyes will turn to North Carolina. There it will be Clinton’s challenge to win a state that is expected to go to Obama.

In the meantime, Clinton campaigns furiously in Pennsylvania, while Obama sneaks in a little beach break before heading back to the state later in the week.

If Clinton digs in her heels and vows not to get out, this one might get ugly. Or should we say uglier.