National polls, he noted, show that, while lower-income voters oppose taxes, they are more sympathetic to government programs than voters with higher incomes.

But analysts say Mr. Lavin attracted tens of thousands of lower-income voters in last month's vote by promoting his pragmatic approaches.

They dismissed Lamont supporters as upper-income professionals who can afford to focus exclusively on the war, in contrast to lower-income voters more affected by issues like health care policy and the minimum wage.

Indeed, polls have shown that the wealth that propelled him into office remains an albatross among the city's middle- and lower-income voters.

To win over in the general election the less educated, lower-income white voters who have eluded him throughout the primary, Obama will need to speak directly to the concrete conditions of their lives.

"Rural voters, older voters and lower-income voters tend to be underrepresented on the Internet," Mr. Benenson said.

At the moment, we lag badly among lower-income voters.

Just now, for instance, tons of press ink suggest he has the cunning to bring black voters and lower-income white voters into a winning coalition for Democrats.

But Mr. Gore won handily among lower-income voters and women, the core of the Democratic Party.

Mr. Buchanan ran more strongly among those without college degrees and among lower-income voters, according to the exit poll, in which 1,389 caucus-goers took part.