Obama Starts Competing In West Virginia

Daschle: Could Expand Into Kentucky, Georgia, North Dakota

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Leading in polls and exuding confidence after last night's debate, Democrat Barack Obama is edging into traditionally GOP states _ now including West Virginia _ as Republican John McCain looks to protect his turf less than three weeks before the election.
On the heels of the campaign's final debate, the Democrat is launching TV ads in West Virginia, which George W. Bush won four years ago and hadn't been on the list of target states until recently, according to two Democrats with knowledge of the strategy.

Obama lost West Virginia's Democratic primary to Hillary Rodham Clinton by 41 percent last May as he struggled to win over working-class whites. But Democrats say the economic turmoil in the hard-hit state and TV ads Obama has been running in its neighbors have made West Virginia competitive. These Democrats spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering the campaign.
They say Obama's campaign also is considering pouring money into reliably Republican Kentucky and may yet return to the airwaves in North Dakota and Georgia. Those are two states Obama had tried to put in play over the summer, but he pulled out when they appeared out of reach.
The Illinois senator sounded increasingly optimistic at a breakfast fundraiser at the New York City Metropolitan Club.

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