As you may have read from a previous post by fellow editor Will Mari, we are in route to Indiana. Meghan Peters, who writes for The Daily at UW, will be joining us on the campaign trail.

As we make our trek over to the Midwest, I thought it would be a good idea to give you what I call the “pre-election Hoosier breakdown.”

Here is what is at stake and on the forefront, heading up to the May 6^th primary.

Delegates: The delegate battle continues. Even though neither candidate will have the 2,025 needed to win the Democratic nomination by the time the primary season comes to an end, they are still fighting for them hard. 

Senator Hillary Clinton isn’t backing down; she’s a fighter, that’s her message. Clinton ended her primary eve rally in Pennsylvania with the Rocky theme song. Will she knock out Senator Barack Obama in Indiana?

Her rival, Obama, is in the delegate lead. And despite weathering the recent media coverage regarding his former controversial pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr., he continues to share his message of hope and change to the people. Obama usually ends his rallies with Stevie Wonder’s “Sign, Sealed, Delivered.”

Will he seal the deal in Indiana?

Delegates up for grabs: 47 (from 9 Congressional Districts.)

Clinton needs to win the state; Obama needs to win the working class vote.

Polls: The current polls for Indiana show Clinton is ahead. Only a couple weeks ago Indiana polls showed Obama was ahead. Looks like he has taken a hit form his “bitter” comments and the Wright controversy. So, polls are what they are. Some follow, some don’t. But, there you have them.

Superdelegates:

The 2008 Democratic Convention Watch is reporting Clinton has 265 superdelegates and Obama has 244 superdelegates.

Clinton’s biggest surrogate in the state is Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. On Wednesday, Representative Baron P. Hill, an Indiana Democrat and a superdelegate, announced his support of Obama. Click here for a complete list of superdelegate endorsements.

The issues at hand and the stakes are high in this historical election. The Democratic Party is a little uneasy; some fear the longevity of the primary is dividing the party. Presumptive GOP nominee, Senator John McCain, is traveling around the country talking about the Iraq war, and the economy and healthcare, while these two candidates continue to fight for the Democratic Nomination.

On the ground reporting from Indiana begins Friday.