A Democrat has not carried the state of Virginia since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The Barack Obama campaign is looking to change that trend in 2008 by opening 20 new offices around the state. He will open offices in the up-for-grabs southeast (Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, and Williamsburg) as well as the more rural western parts of the state (Danville and Martinsville).State Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke) is quoted as saying, "The demographics are changing. (Obama) is serious about Virginia."
Campaign officials said they expected the offices to be staffed with a mix of paid employees and volunteers 12 hours a day. Edwards said he expected hundreds of volunteers.
The fundraising figures were released yesterday, Obama raked in $52 million during the month of June, to the paltry $22 million raised by McCain. Obama's candidacy continues to energize the electorate in ways that haven't been seen in more than a generation. Since he is not taking federal funds, Obama can continue to raise large amounts of money to spend on things like... opening campaign offices in former red states like Virginia!
Obama has been making unprecedented buys in a handful of red states: $60,000 in Alaska; $3.5 million in Florida; $1.3 million in Georgia; $1 million in Indiana; $100,000 in Montana; $1 million in North Carolina; and $1.8 million in Virginia. Both candidates are also targeting the traditional battlegrounds where Democrats and Republicans take their political war every four years: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri (which has voted with the presidential winner since 1956).
Read the DailyPress.com article on the campaign openings in Virginia here.
Read the CNN.com article on Obama's fundraising for June 2008 here.
plez sez: I believe that State Sen. Edwards is right.
plezWorld's family reunion was in Virginia a few weeks ago and I was in the area (Hampton, Newport News, and northern Virginia), and Obama was ALL THE BUZZ! All of my relatives were staunch supporters, one cousin took off work and traveled to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina to campaign for Obama! One aunt answers her phone, "Hello... Obama Country!" If you recall during the primary in Virginia, my mother went to vote and then picked up my 90-year old aunt to take her to vote... for Obama! I was surprised by the fervor and excitement over the Obama campaign.
My family moved to Virginia when I was in high school and this was the first state where I registered to vote (even though, my first vote was in Georgia because that is where I went to college). It would be nice to see Virginia turn BLUE!
What folk need to understand is that for every Red State thrust into tossup status that McCain has to invest in to maintain red status, ANOTHER red state that Obama is making hay in becomes just a bit more vulnerable.
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ReplyDeletei feel tha this is an excellent strategy (as long as Obama has the funds for it)... if he can "flip" one or two red states in the election, he'll win easily.
i had hoped georgia would be one of those states, but with a serious democratic contender for the US Senate, the republicans will probably be energized to turn out to vote in november.
did that back in the primaries based on turnout u know. u a wise man folk, wise
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