Barack Obama disputed Friday a claim by the John McCain campaign that Obama would cut defense spending 25 percent – an attack that could cost Obama votes in Hampton Roads, with its concentration of military forces and defense contractors. In a news release, Obama’s campaign called the Republican TV and radio ads “desperate and dishonest.”

Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, is planning to campaign for Sen. Barack Obama Saturday during stops across the state.

Her first stop on Saturday morning will be in Portsmouth at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center, 607 Effingham St., according to a news release from the Obama campaign. Her talk will begin at 11:15 a.m.

LYNCHBURG Gov. Timothy M. Kaine took up the issues of abortion and gay marriage during a stop at Liberty University to promote Barack Obama. The reaction among students on Monday was polite, and Kaine even generated some cheers on the Lexington campus.

ASHEVILLE More than 1 million people have now cast ballots in North Carolina’s early voting, surpassing the total number who voted early four years ago. Data released Sunday by the State Board of Elections show that 1,078,710 have voted at early sites. In 2004, the state counted 984,000 ballots during the full early-voting period.

The AFL-CIO announced a series of radio ads featuring celebrities urging citizens to vote.

The ads, featuring rapper Ludacris and actors Edward James Olmos, Judge Mathis and Hill Harper, will air from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4 on urban and Spanish language stations, according to a press release. - Jim Washington, The Pilot   NORTH CAROLINA ads go after McCain health plan

Voter registrar offices throughout Virginia will be open the next two Saturdays, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, for eligible voters to cast absentee ballots. Voters should contact their local registrar’s office to confirm business hours.

Several stars of the HBO series “The Wire” will visit Norfolk on Saturday as part of the “Vote to Empower!” bus tour organized by the Urban League. A second celebrity tour, this one featuring hip-hop artists, also will visit Norfolk.

Click on U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake’s campaign Web site – www.thelmadrake.com – and a new message attacking her opponent, Glenn Nye, is hard to miss.

Democrats are pumping more than $800,000 into a TV advertising blitz on behalf of 2nd District candidate Glenn Nye. Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee is spending $196,000 on a TV ad that will air over the next 10 days, incumbent Thelma Drake’s campaign said Friday.

As U.S. Sen. Jim Webb stumped southwestern Virginia for the Obama-Biden ticket on Thursday, Democrats looked to Webb's reputation as a lifelong hunter and shooting enthusiast to reassure rural voters that Obama supports their right to bear arms.