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In a new, two-minute ad running in Texas, Barack Obama tells voters he deserves their support in Tuesday's crucial Texas contest.

The spot, in which Obama addresses the camera in one long, nearly unbroken take, is called "Leader."

"For years, we’ve watched politicians divide us, seen lobbyists put their interests ahead of ours, and heard our leaders tell us what we want to hear, instead of what we need to hear," says Obama. "The question you have to ask yourself is this: Who can take us in a fundamentally new direction?"

"I’m running to finally solve problems we talk about year after year after year," he adds. "To end the division, the obscene influence of lobbyists, and the politics that value scoring points over making progress. We can’t afford more of that — not this year, not now."

Watch below:



The rest of the script:

Read full post…

A wave of momentum has carried Barack Obama to big victories in every contest since Super Tuesday, and it now appears that wave is headed toward Texas, where a new poll shows Obama and Hillary Clinton in a statistical tie.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll of likely Democratic voters in Texas shows Clinton at 48 percent support, with Obama at 47 percent – a gap well within the survey's 4 percent margin of error. The poll was conducted from Feb. 16-20, meaning most of its data comes from before Obama's big win in Wisconsin's Feb. 19 primary.

Ohio voters were also polled – here, Clinton's lead is shrinking but still significant. In the Buckeye State, she leads Obama, 50 percent to 43 percent.

Both polls reflect the trend previously seen in other states: Clinton starts out with double-digit leads, sometimes more than 20 percentage points, only to see her advantage evaporate as the Obama campaign becomes active. Only a few days ago, polls in Texas showed her with an 8 percentage point lead over Obama. In Ohio, her lead was even bigger.

Early in the Democratic race, it appeared momentum wasn't much of a factor, with Clinton and Obama virtually trading wins and fighting to a draw on Super Tuesday. But after a series of wins in states where Obama out-organized and out-spent Clinton, it appears the Illinois senator has become strong enough to eat into her leads even in states where, on paper, she should have a clear advantage.

The Obama campaign has announced a new Spanish-language radio ad to air in Texas.

"Barack Obama is talking to me. He’s faced many of the same challenges that we’ve faced in my family," an announcer says in the spot. "His parents weren’t rich, but through hard work, he earned a scholarship and found his way — graduating from Harvard Law School. And instead of accepting job offers that paid a lot of money, Obama decided to work with churches, giving a helping hand to those less fortunate in his community."

The spot includes snippets of Obama speaking, but otherwise it's entirely in Spanish. It closes like this: "Obama is talking to me...That’s why I’m talking to others — my parents, my uncles, and my friends — because politics isn’t just for those who like to fight, it’s for those who want to build a better future. Obama is talking to me, and he’s talking to you too."

If your Spanish is up to snuff, you can listen to the ad here.

The Obama campaign is hoping to land a knockout blow on March 4th, when voters have their say in Texas, as well as Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, sees the day as a chance to recover after what is expected to be a tough February. Both campaigns began airing television ads today in Texas and Ohio.

Obama has struggled to attract Hispanic voters, though he has done increasingly well since the group broke for Clinton in large numbers in the Nevada caucuses. Some observers, among them Clinton pollster and Latino expert Sergio Bendixen, believe that Latino voters are not predisposed to support a black politician; Bendixen said "the Hispanic voter -- and I want to say this very carefully -- has not shown a lot of willingness or affinity to support black candidates." Critics counter by pointing to black politicians who have done well with Hispanic voters, among them Los Angles Mayor Tom Bradley and New York mayor David Dinkins.