Mountain State likely to see more of Clinton, Obama before primary

HUNTINGTON -- With the race for the Democratic presidential nomination so tight and every delegate so important, West Virginia can expect to see candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama again in the coming weeks, party officials and analysts said.

Just how often and when, though, is still up in the air.

With more than 400 delegates up for grabs in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana before West Virginia's May 13 primary, the Senators will be traveling nonstop to secure their party's nomination.

Robert Behrman, chairman of Marshall University's political science department, said he expects the candidates to make more stops in West Virginia before the primary.

Both were in the state last week. Obama, of Illinois, hosted events in Charleston and Beckley on Thursday and Clinton, of New York, made stops in Charleston and Huntington on Wednesday.

During a short, off-the-cuff speech in Charleston, Obama said he looked forward to returning to West Virginia and was looking for campaign volunteers.

Amy Brundage, an Obama spokeswoman, said no West Virginia events have been scheduled in the near future. With many states still to hold their primary, Brundage said the senator will be busy traveling and campaigning.

"Right now, we're not doing scheduling many days in advance, only two or three days (in advance)," she said. "We do plan on coming back but we have not set up any scheduled events."

Marie Prezioso, a West Virginia superdelegate who endorsed Clinton, said she spoke to the senator following her event in Charleston on Wednesday. Though she did not specify a date, Prezioso said Clinton told her she planned to come back to West Virginia.

Prezioso, a member of the Democratic National Committee, said Clinton's plans to visit the state again shows the importance in receiving the Democratic nomination.

"West Virginia is going to be important because every delegate counts," Prezioso said. "I'm sure we'll see both of them again before the primary."

As the primary season winds down, the presidential candidates will be working hard to capture as many committed delegates as they can, even though neither can win enough to guarantee the nomination.

"The race is so close between the two of them that the nomination will be decided by the superdelegates," said Behrman, referring to delegates who aren't dictated by popular votes to back one candidate or another. "Clinton needs to have good showing in the later primaries to swing momentum her way."

Locally, Obama seems to be generating the most grassroots efforts, most apparent on the Marshall University campus.

Daniel Hager, chapter coordinator of the Marshall University Students for Barack Obama, said the group has planned several events aimed at bringing more people to the Obama campaign.

The group began as an online support chapter on the social-networking Web site www.facebook.com. While the group had only four registered members for months, Hager said the group has over 270 members, including 30 who regularly attend a weekly campus meeting on Mondays.

Hager said the group has been focusing on voter registration events since it was created last summer.

"We decided early on that we want to get students on the Marshall campus informed and involved. And when they're informed, they realize that Obama is the right candidate for them," Hager said. "Senator Obama, more than any other candidate, wants to get people involved. It's one of the fundamental principles of the campaign."

Behrman, said getting the support of young voters is important to both campaigns. While on Marshall's campus, Behrman said he has only seen two individuals openly supporting Clinton.

"We have seen a tremendous increase in young voters, which took a lot of campaigns by surprise," Behrman said. "Obama has real attraction to young voters."

Curt Zickafoose, the field organizer for the state Democratic Executive Committee, said he was unaware of any grassroots or student organizations supporting Clinton in the area.

Other than setting up Obama information booths and registering Marshall student voters, Hager said the campaign asked the group to canvass southern Ohio before that state's March 4 primary. Hager said the group will continue supporting the campaign by volunteering in the Tri-State and plans to hold off-campus events.

Since Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, already has secured the Republican party's presidential nomination, McCain spokesman Jeff Sadosky said the Senator will spend the time strategizing for the general election.

Sadosky said the McCain campaign already is thinking about West Virginia and the importance it plays in national politics.

"The state has played an important role in the general election for years," Sadosky said. "The Senator is balancing fundraising and campaign appearances. (Coming to a particular state) is a strategic decision made by the campaign."