Obama's Battleground Blitz Continues
(ORLANDO) - The campaign may be basking in the aftermath of its 30-minute infomercial and Bill Clinton's ringing in-person endorsement last night, but it's back to business as usual on the trail today. Obama will continue to campaign in battleground states, focusing on the economy and the middle class.
All three stops on the schedule will be in traditionally Republican counties. The first rally is in Sarasota, a city that John Kerry lost in 2004 by a less than 10-point margin.
"We know that in order to win Florida we need to not only win in the Democratic areas but we must compete in traditionally Red areas as well," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
This is Obama's second-to-last last stop in Florida before early voting ends on Monday and his supporters are expected to campaign here seperately in the coming days. Al and Tipper Gore will appear at rallies in southern Florida, and Joe Biden will be back here on Monday. Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Buffett, Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., and Caroline Kennedy are also expected in the state on behalf of Obama.
Later today, he heads back to the Hampton Roads area of Virginia for his second rally in the area this week. The Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and Hampton Roads, in the southeastern part of the state, are viewed as Obama's best shots at winning the Virginia. He is expected to return to the state at least one more time before Tuesday.
He wraps up the day at rally in Columbia, Missouri, a state that four years ago, Democrats had little hopes of winning. However, Obama has made seven trips to the state since clinching the nomination and has committed a significant amount of resources there.
Although the polls show that John McCain has a slight lead in Missouri, Obama believes that he has a chance. "We wouldn't be returning to the state if we didn't we could be competitive and win," Psaki said.
Neither Missouri nor Virginia have early voting.