In Virginia, Obama surrogates continue push for win

RICHMOND

Michelle Obama's second swing through Virginia in as many months is another sign that strategists for her husband's presidential campaign believe the state's 13 electoral votes can be won by the Democrat this November.

Her planned appearances in Richmond and Charlottesville on Wednesday continue a recent trend of regular visits to the Old Dominion by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and some of his key surrogates.

Since August, Obama, his wife, or his vice presidential nominee, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, have each campaigned in Virginia.

Those frequent visits, coupled with the 42 campaign offices speckled across the state, are encouraging signs to Richmond Mayor Doug Wilder, an Obama surrogate, who urged him to spend time in Virginia.

"I literally said to him, 'Go into the rural areas. Let them see you, let them feel you, let them know the real person that you are," Wilder said Monday during remarks defending Obama against Republican attacks.

"And I can tell you," Wilder said, "that we're going to reap the benefits of him having gone there, from people seeing him, knowing that they're not being taken for granted."

Also campaigning for Obama this week in some of the more rural parts of the state is another former governor, Republican Linwood Holton, who will be joined by his daughter, Virginia first lady Anne Holton.

Sen. John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee, had been less publicly visible than Obama in the state until last week, when he and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, appeared at a Fairfax rally that drew thousands.

While Obama has spent more time here this summer, McCain campaign officials say the GOP nominee understands the importance of the state and will be present here in the remaining days of the race.

"You can anticipate a lot of activity from the McCain campaign in the next 50 days," said spokeswoman Gail Gitcho. That likely will include additional visits by McCain and Palin, she said.

It remains to be seen what dividends the candidates' respective investments in the state will pay in the election. Polling of state voters seems to shift almost by the day: Last week McCain was up in Virginia; this week Obama has the lead.

"What's important is the average," Christopher Newport University political science professor Quentin Kidd said of poll numbers. "And the average shows a dead heat."

Those numbers allow Republicans to continue to expect to carry Virginia, as they have in every presidential contest since the late 1960s, and gives Democrats hope that they can swing it into their column, he added.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1567, Julian.walker@pilotonline.com