Obama to speak in Mich., for first time in campaign

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Correction: The story has been corrected to say Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is the presumptive Republican nominee.

As Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., prepares to campaign in Michigan for the first time Wednesday, MSU political science chairman Richard Hula said the move may signal he is entering the second phase of his campaign — the run against presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for the presidential election.

Obama will appear at a town hall meeting in Macomb County and is scheduled for an event at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Democratic candidates have not campaigned in Michigan since the state was stripped of its delegates for moving its primary up to Jan. 15, Hula said. Obama may be trying to act like he is not neglecting Michigan, a potential swing state during the 2008 election, he said.

“He’s trying to secure what should be a Democratic state,” Hula said.

Republican victories in the Michigan Legislature show McCain could make the Great Lakes state a red state, he said.

Obama is appearing in southeast Michigan to stir its strong Democratic population into voting, Hula said. Former Republican Gov. John Engler won because of a low voting turnout in southeast Michigan.

But some MSU students think it is past time for Obama to begin a Michigan campaign.

MSU Japanese senior Chad Cole said he supports Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., because of her previous campaigning efforts in Michigan.

“It seems a little too late,” Cole said. “I still like a lot of his platform, especially the gas tax.”

History and communication senior Heather Hymes said she would travel from East Lansing to see Obama if she did not have to work and attend class.

She said Obama’s original firm stance against the Iraq War, and caution on pulling out troops too soon identifies closest with her ideologies.

“I agree with him on all issues,” Hymes said.

Hymes, who has read both of Obama’s books and has seen him speak before becoming a senator, said she likes Obama’s charismatic manner and thinks he will win against both Clinton and McCain.

Hymes said such qualities separate Obama from Clinton. Superdelegates who endorsed Clinton are switching to Obama, making a Clinton victory extremely unlikely.

“He’s not trying to tear the (Democratic) party apart,” she said.

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