Obama Likely To Open Arkansas Headquarters Soon, Gwatney Says
Last updated Saturday, August 2, 2008 8:34 PM CDT in News
By Doug Thompson
The Morning News
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VAUGHN - Democratic presidential nominee-apparent Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois will probably open an Arkansas campaign headquarters in Little Rock this month, state Democratic chairman Bill Gwatney said Saturday.
Recent polls show Republican nominee apparent Sen. John McCain of Arizona with a double-digit lead in Arkansas. Yet McCain "clearly knows he doesn't have this state sewn up," Gwatney told a crowd of at least 150 Democrats gathered for a fundraiser at the Benton County fairgrounds in Vaughn, near Bentonville.
If the GOP was assured of carrying Arkansas, McCain wouldn't have scheduled two visits since April with another visit coming from President Bush during the same time, Gwatney said.
McCain's "been to Little Rock already, is coming here to Benton County on Friday, and President Bush has come to Little Rock recently too," Gwatney said. McCain and his wife, Cindy, will attend a $500-a-person reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rogers. Obama has not been to the state since September 2006, Gwatney said, "yet he's only 10 points behind," according to one recent poll.
Dennis Milligan, chairman of the state Republican Party, said McCain was following the guidelines of "Campaigning 101: Go where your strengths are. He's trying to energize his base by coming to Arkansas."
"What else can he say?" Milligan said of Gwatney's remarks.
Arkansas' Democratic elected officials would embrace Obama openly if Arkansas voters were ready to embrace Obama too, Milligan said. "Now, those elected officials have to be prodded into it," Milligan said.
As for whether Obama's going to open a campaign office in Little Rock, Obama's probably going to outspend McCain by enough of a margin to afford empty gestures, Milligan said: "He's got the money, so why not open up an office everywhere?"
Obama's presidential rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., carried Arkansas with 70 percent of the vote in the Feb. 5 Democratic primary. Obama received 26.5 percent of the state's Democratic vote in that contest. That race is over, Gwatney told the group. Clinton's "not the nominee. He is," Gwatney said of Obama.
"The frustration among Democrats, especially over what's happened in the last four years, is incredible," Gwatney said. He sees it everywhere he goes, the chairman said. That frustration will manifest itself into support for Obama in Arkansas and elsewhere, the chairman said.
Obama is the candidate of hope, and "if anybody stands for hope in Arkansas, it's a Democrat in Benton County," Gwatney said. Benton County is the most consistently Republican county in Arkansas despite having one of the largest Democratic turnouts in statewide elections.
Reader Comments (7 comment(s))
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illegalsout wrote on Aug 3, 2008 6:45 AM:
ozarks wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:40 PM:
recross1 wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:31 AM:
Barrack has said if elected he will be sworn in with the quran not the bible,wake up america,we are temting fate here and God will be the only help we can ask for if he is voted in "
widow wrote on Aug 4, 2008 4:31 PM:
Not already registered?
sovereignty wrote on Aug 2, 2008 9:50 PM: