Former President Clinton still is drawing large and enthusiastic crowds as he hopscotches across Ohio's smaller towns on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign.

Under the waves of excitement, however, are currents of unease among the Hillary Clinton faithful. With Sen. Barack Obama overtaking the New York senator in delegates and sneaking up on her lead in Texas and Ohio polls, some of Clinton's most-ardent backers in Ohio are reluctant to predict victory in Tuesday's primary.

President Clinton rallied more than 2,000 people at Harding High School yesterday, although about 1,300 of them were students. The others included many never-say-die Clinton backers in a county that backed his Republican opponents in the 1992 and 1996 elections.

"I'm going to hope for the best," said Sharon Middleton, a lifelong Marion resident who brandished a Hillary sign at the rally. "That's all I can do."

Although some of Sen. Clinton's supporters merely held out hope for Tuesday victories that would break Obama's winning streak, the senator's most-prominent supporter -- her husband -- outlined her path to the White House. President Clinton said that wins in Ohio and Texas would put the momentum back in his wife's favor, leading to a victory in the next big primary state, Pennsylvania, which votes April 22. Clinton victories in all three states likely would erase Obama's delegate lead.

"This is a very interesting and very heated race, and it all comes down to Ohio and Texas," he said. The former president did not say what would happen if Sen. Clinton loses Ohio, Texas or both.

Some Clinton backers in Marion said the senator should at least win Ohio, based on the state's large base of blue-collar Democrats and struggling economy. Clinton seems to have a better understanding of the economy and has offered more specific proposals than Obama for jump-starting it, said Donald Wray, 47, of Marion, a school maintenance worker.

"I think Ohioans are more drawn to her because the economy is a big issue and she has more experience dealing with it," Wray said.

Gerald Moore, 62, of Marion said Clinton has a good chance of capturing Ohio but that her national prospects are more uncertain. Her edge in Ohio comes from the state's working class, he said.

"(Pundits) rate her as the candidate of the beer-drinking class and Obama as the candidate of the wine drinkers," said Moore, a retired tool-and-die worker.

"I think it's going to be a real close race. Obama can kind of mesmerize people with his talk and his speeches."

President Clinton drew some contrasts between his wife and Obama, although he did not mention the Illinois senator by name. Clinton said his wife pushed for school reform and investment in rural development while serving as Arkansas first lady, and led the fight for children's health insurance as a U.S. senator.

"There's been an attempt by her opponent to set this up as a choice between change and experience," Clinton said. "Experience does matter if it's the right kind. Hillary says, 'You ought to choose me because the experience I have is making change. I have been a change-maker my whole life.' "

jnash@dispatch.com