Obama to stop in Q-C on Monday

Font Size:

By Ed Tibbetts | Friday, August 22, 2008 2:05 AM CDT | () comments

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama speaks during a discussion today about the economy, in Chester, Va. (AP Photo)

UPDATED, 7:12 P.M.: Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will make a stop Monday in Davenport as part of a tour of battleground states leading up to his nomination next week at the Democratic National Convention.

Obama’s stop, his second in eastern Iowa in less than a month, is a sign of the area’s importance in the general election.

Iowa is expected to be closely contested by some analysts, and the eastern part of the state is seen as a key.

Few details have been released about the visit, which the campaign confirmed Thursday after several days of rumors.

It appears, however, as if the U.S. senator from Illinois will appear at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on West Locust Street in Davenport. Bob Fox, fairgrounds general manager, said campaign officials toured the grounds, and he expected there would be an announcement on a venue shortly.

The campaign was interested in an outdoor space for the event, he said.

Jenni Lee, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign in Des Moines, said she had no further details yet.

Obama is kicking off a trek to Denver, the site of the national convention, with a rally at the Old State Capitol in Springfield on Saturday, where he formally announced his campaign last year.

Obama’s vice presidential pick will campaign with him there, but it’s not clear whether that person will join him in Davenport.

Obama will be in Eau Claire, Wis., on Sunday; Davenport on Monday; Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday; Billings, Mont., on Wednesday; and Denver on Thursday, where he’ll accept his party’s presidential nomination.

The convention begins Monday and runs through Thursday.

Obama was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, late last month for a speech on the economy and to hear from flood victims.

His campaign said Thursday that this stop will focus on “bringing change to Washington and offering relief to middle-class families who are increasingly burdened by the tightening economy and high gas prices.”

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.

EARLIER STORY: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will be in the Quad-City area on Monday, the campaign announced today. The visit is part of a tour of battleground states leading up to next week’s convention in Denver.

He’ll also make stops in Wisconsin, Missouri and Montana.

No details have been released about the visit here, but campaign workers have been scouting out possible locations.

Bob Fox, the general manager at the Mississippi Valley Fair, said he’d been contacted. “I think they’re looking at outdoor” venues, he said.

It’s already been announced that Obama will be in Springfield on Saturday, where he kicked off his presidential campaign.