Obama Makes Last-Minute Pitch to Voters
(JACKSONVILLE, FLA.) - Barack Obama will make a last-minute pitch to voters today in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia - battleground states that President Bush won in 2004 and states that the campaign is confident they can win on Tuesday. Aides believe that if they generate a high voter turnout in areas where Obama is already ahead, that will be the key to winning these battlegrounds.
In Jacksonville, Fla., Obama will court the large African-American population that makes up roughly 30% of the city. A large portion of these voters stayed home in 2004, helping George Bush beat John Kerry by 16%. Obama hopes his visit will turnout voters in the area, helping him win Duval County and drive up the overall popular vote in the state.
Obama will campaign in Charlotte, N.C. this afternoon. It is somewhat unprecedented for a Democrat to campaign in North Carolina on the day before the election, but this is another indication of the campaign's confidence that they can turn the state blue. The early voting numbers in there are at a record high, and Obama hopes that one more visit will generate a higher turnout among Democrats tomorrow.
Obama wraps up the day in Manassas, Virginia, in the northern part of the state where he is expected to win by a large margin. Aides are very confident that Obama will take Virginia on Election Day – so confident that they have spent three days in state just this week.