West Virginia voters are heading to the polls in their state's primary election to pick the Democratic Party's nominee for the US presidential poll.

Senator Hillary Clinton went into the ballot with a big lead in the opinion polls over rival Senator Barack Obama.

Mr Obama remains the clear frontrunner in the overall contest, having garnered more support and more cash.

Correspondents say even the expected easy win for Mrs Clinton will do little to alter the course of the battle.

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An additional 26 super-delegates - party and elected officials - have declared their support for him in the past week, according to the Associated Press news agency, swelling his lead.

Pressure

Mrs Clinton has been campaigning hard in West Virginia, although only 28 delegates are at stake.

Analysts say the state's demographics are in her favour, with a population that is 95% white, largely blue collar and culturally conservative.

Such groups have tended to support Mrs Clinton in previous primary elections.

Polls are due to open at 0630 local time (1130 BST) and will close at 1930 (0030 BST).

Mrs Clinton has resisted pressure to bow out of the race, despite Mr Obama's growing advantage in terms of delegates and her rapidly dwindling campaign war chest.

West Virginia is among six states still to hold primaries before the Democratic Party officially declares at its August convention who will take on presumptive Republican candidate John McCain in November's general election.

The next primaries will be in Oregon and Kentucky on 20 May.

Mr Obama appeared in Charleston, West Virginia, on Monday but appears to have largely switched his focus to a potential general election campaign against Mr McCain.

In the coming days he plans to visit Florida, Michigan and Missouri - all expected to be general election battleground states - as well as remaining primary states South Dakota and Oregon, his campaign said.

In Nebraska, both parties are holding primary elections to choose their nominee to compete in November for the Senate seat of retiring two-term Republican Chuck Hagel. Congressional contests are also taking place in West Virginia and Mississippi.

(BBC)

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