Pennsylvania overrun by Democrats

You can't turn a corner without running into a Democrat these days in Pennsylvania.

More than 161,000 Pennsylvania residents have registered as Democrats since last November, bringing the total number of registered Democrats in the state to 4,044,952.

That's an all-time record for any party in this state.

Registered Republicans in Pennsylvania number 3,215,478.

There's another 900,000 independent or third-party voters in the state, too.

Democratic Party officials are jumping for joy at the registration numbers, but don't get too excited. A lot of people want the opportunity to vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton on April 22.

The numbers that matter will be the ones after the primary election. How many voters will stay registered Democrats and how many will vote in November if their candidate doesn't win the primary?

And don't discount John McCain's appeal to independent voters or conservative Democrats for the November election.

Republicans are also planning a big push to get Republicans to come back to the party after the April 22 primary. The Montgomery County Republican Party has set up a Web site to facilitate switching registration back to the GOP at VOTE GOP PA.com