Such appeals proved counterproductive. Many expressed irritation at being urged to vote for a candidate on the grounds of her gender. And so the alarmed Clinton camp came up with a rescue plan which involved not referring at all to her status as the first person without a Y-chromosome to be favourite for the White House. As the contest has moved south into states with high unemployment and large black populations, her pitch has been that the party cannot afford to elect a socialist candidate like Sanders who has limited appeal to the wider electorate. It worked in South Carolina on Friday, and, if the polls are correct, looks likely to deliver today too.