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Obama Targets a Swath of Dixie

By Hastings Wyman/Southern Political Report

When the Obama campaign launched its first television ads in 18 key states across the country, four of them were in the South — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. With a combined total of 70 electoral votes, were these four states to desert the solid (Republican) South and back Obama, it would be almost impossible for McCain to win the presidency.

Moreover, the move by Obama to gamble in these four states will force the McCain campaign, with its tight finances, to campaign in states that it has surely hoped it could count on, while Obama, with his seemingly limitless supply of Internet-supplied cash, can afford to make a serious play for states where he's not necessarily the favorite.

The Obama campaign will not acknowledge what its television strategy indicates, i.e., that some states are getting more attention from them than others. According to Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage, "Senator Obama has strong grassroots support throughout the South — and in all 50 states," further noting that they expect to have "a campaign presence, staff and leadership in each of the 50 states."

Nevertheless, there is already some Obama staff operating in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, and more are likely to be added in the coming weeks. For now, they are concentrating on voter registration, mostly working through "Vote for Change," an Obama campaign effort.

The fact that Obama intends to compete seriously in these four states does not mean the Illinois senator will carry them. McCain has strong factors in his favor — especially voting history — in all of them.

Here are snapshots of Obama's effort in the four targeted states.

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