SUNBURY — While many Valley Democrats insist they are embracing a message of unity as Pennsylvania’s primary election nears, results of a telephone survey of randomly selected registered Democrats reveal disparate opinions about the Democratic candidates.

The telephone survey, conducted by The Daily Item Tuesday through Thursday, asked registered Democrats whether they would vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, or Sen. Barack Obama, or whether they were still undecided.

Results from 150 registered Democrats who responded were counted. According to responses, 61 Democrats said they would vote for Clinton, 38 for Obama, and 51 were undecided.

A sampling of their comments:

Hope springs eternal:

Obama supporters

Neil M. Arnold, of Sunbury, said he’s voting for the Illinois senator because “We need change, and from what I’ve seen of Obama, I feel he is not only the man to make all the changes he’s talked about, but also to keep peace across party lines.

“I wasn’t going to vote this election,” Arnold said. “The parties have become so divisive and vicious. To me there is only one party — ‘We the People.’ But I have confidence that Obama can unite across party lines and get things done. He has a way of being persuasive. I liked how he handled the Reverend Wright situation, by saying he disagreed with a lot of his comments. What I see in Obama is a man who has done a great deal of good things, and watching him, I see that he’s shown some Christian character, which I appreciate.”

For Owen T. Anderson, of Lewisburg, choosing between the two candidates “is a relatively close call. Either of them would be better than the present office-holder. My main concern with Hillary is the inevitable complications that would be caused by having a former president, Bill Clinton, living in the same house.

“I’ve been very impressed by Obama,” he said. “He embodies all that we want and need in a leader. He has a great background, good education and great presence. It seems like voting for him would be a good idea.”

Joan M. Dillon, of Herndon, agrees. “I like Obama’s attitude,” Dillon said. “I believe he will do what’s right for the country.”

Eileen M. Keefer, of Milton, strongly believes that Obama “would take us all to a new level of service that would be a breakthrough for our country. Sadly, we have veered into a reverence for power and money that is sucking the life out of all of us,” she said.

“I don’t know if there is a solution for our problems,” Keefer said, “but I’ve read Obama’s book and I have great hope for him as a leader. Right now he’s saying what he has to say to be elected, but I believe he is the right man for the job. I’m against a double shift for the Clintons,” she said. “It reeks of royalty. As for McCain, well, he’s a Republican. And they’ve dug us so deep in a hole that I don’t know if we can ever recover. I wouldn’t vote for a Republican.”