Welcome to life on a political battlefield.

With just less than five weeks until the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, the irony of the Keystone State having a far more influential position than anyone expected is not lost on us. Neither are the likely effects on local residents and communities.

Some of those effects are good, such as the probable boost in voter turnout, like that already seen in other states and attributable to the excitement and interest generated by the race between U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for the Democratic presidential nomination.

It's good, too, that Clinton and Obama will spend considerable time and effort here to address issues of particular interest to Pennsylvanians.

But the intensity of this contest also could turn off voters, especially if the two campaigns continue to engage in sniping that pushes "hot buttons" linked to gender and race.

Even if Clinton and Obama take the campaign high road -- well, we can hope, can't we? -- voters likely will have had more than their fill of TV and radio ads, "robocalls," rallies, door-knocking and "town halls" by April 22.

In the meantime, tough choices need to be made in local communities -- and not just by individual voters.

Especially in communities that historically are heavily Democratic, party officials at the local level have to proceed carefully to avoid alienating voters they'll need at the polls in November.

Endorsing Clinton would please the state's Democratic establishment, led by early Clinton endorser Gov. Ed Rendell, but not Obama backers in their own backyards. By the same token, endorsing Obama means risking the displeasure of the Democratic leadership.

Either way, if the other candidate becomes the nominee, they'll have to backpedal swiftly and adroitly to show party unity. And if they endorse neither candidate, they'll effectively sideline themselves for the primary.

It's going to be a fascinating, at times maddening, five weeks -- a campaign of a sort that few Pennsylvanians ever have witnessed up close. We hope it helps the Democrats resolve their nomination conundrum.

Just as importantly, we hope those drawn into greater political involvement than ever before will continue that level of interest and passion long after this primary's votes are counted.