Clinton returning to state; Obama visit also expected
Ally of Illinois senator touts coal's importance
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton will return to the Charleston area Thursday, while Barack Obama's West Virginia campaign staff said they expect their candidate will also be in the Mountain State later this week.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton will return to the Charleston area Thursday, while Barack Obama's West Virginia campaign staff said they expect their candidate will also be in the Mountain State later this week.
With West Virginia's primary election set for next Tuesday - and the Indiana and North Carolina campaigns ending today - both candidates' campaigns began ramping up their local efforts.
Women voters gathered Monday evening to support the presidential candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., at the Callen McJunkin Gallery in downtown Charleston.
On Wednesday, former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus will be in West Virginia to talk about infrastructure and campaign for Obama.
Also, presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will make an appearance in West Virginia on May 16, three days after the primary. More details of his visit and Clinton's stop were not available Monday evening.
Clinton, D-N.Y., who had been in the lead in West Virginia in a national poll conducted in March, has increased her lead since, according to a poll released Monday.
TSG Consulting, a political consulting firm with offices in Charleston and Beckley, released a statewide poll showing Clinton with a commanding 40-point lead over Obama, 63 percent to 23 percent. The telephone poll, conducted by Orion Strategies Saturday among 300 Democratic and independent voters, had a margin of error of nearly 6 percent.
Tom Susman, president of TSG, said if that vote holds true on Election Day it would give Clinton 18 pledged delegates to Obama's 10.
"What this means is that West Virginia's eight-vote margin would give Clinton almost the same net gain in pledged delegates as she received with her 10-delegate margin in Pennsylvania, which is a much bigger state," Susman said.
Those figures weren't being given the time of day Monday afternoon at Obama's downtown Charleston headquarters, where Illinois state Rep. Dan Reitz had just completed a day of campaigning across Southern West Virginia for Obama.
Reitz, a coal miner and United Mine Workers member, appeared earlier in the day with Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh, who endorsed Obama's candidacy. He then toured a West Virginia University Tech project in Montgomery showing how to remove mercury from coal waste slurry ponds.
He called it a "good demonstration project" and said the school needs financial help to "ramp it up."
"It just helps coal," Reitz said.
A southern Illinois resident, Reitz worked with Obama while he was a state senator. Although Obama lives in Chicago, Reitz said he understands the needs of the coal industry and rural southern Illinois.
"Coal is the most reliable source of energy we have," he said.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton will return to the Charleston area Thursday, while Barack Obama's West Virginia campaign staff said they expect their candidate will also be in the Mountain State later this week.
With West Virginia's primary election set for next Tuesday - and the Indiana and North Carolina campaigns ending today - both candidates' campaigns began ramping up their local efforts.
On Wednesday, former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus will be in West Virginia to talk about infrastructure and campaign for Obama.
Also, presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will make an appearance in West Virginia on May 16, three days after the primary. More details of his visit and Clinton's stop were not available Monday evening.
Clinton, D-N.Y., who had been in the lead in West Virginia in a national poll conducted in March, has increased her lead since, according to a poll released Monday.
TSG Consulting, a political consulting firm with offices in Charleston and Beckley, released a statewide poll showing Clinton with a commanding 40-point lead over Obama, 63 percent to 23 percent. The telephone poll, conducted by Orion Strategies Saturday among 300 Democratic and independent voters, had a margin of error of nearly 6 percent.
Tom Susman, president of TSG, said if that vote holds true on Election Day it would give Clinton 18 pledged delegates to Obama's 10.
"What this means is that West Virginia's eight-vote margin would give Clinton almost the same net gain in pledged delegates as she received with her 10-delegate margin in Pennsylvania, which is a much bigger state," Susman said.
Those figures weren't being given the time of day Monday afternoon at Obama's downtown Charleston headquarters, where Illinois state Rep. Dan Reitz had just completed a day of campaigning across Southern West Virginia for Obama.
Reitz, a coal miner and United Mine Workers member, appeared earlier in the day with Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh, who endorsed Obama's candidacy. He then toured a West Virginia University Tech project in Montgomery showing how to remove mercury from coal waste slurry ponds.
He called it a "good demonstration project" and said the school needs financial help to "ramp it up."
"It just helps coal," Reitz said.
A southern Illinois resident, Reitz worked with Obama while he was a state senator. Although Obama lives in Chicago, Reitz said he understands the needs of the coal industry and rural southern Illinois.
"Coal is the most reliable source of energy we have," he said.
He expects it to get the majority of funding from Obama's proposed $150 million clean energy research and technology program. "A lot of it will have to be coal," Reitz said.
He foresees coal being changed to a gas and being burned cleanly.
"That's really going to be the future," he said. "[That will] make coal a more viable option to reduce our dependency on foreign oil."
Reitz said he made the trip to West Virginia because he wants people to realize Obama is sensitive to coal issues and the people who mine coal.
"This is our future for coal, to find a way to burn it more cleanly and keep it burning," Reitz said.
A few blocks away, women over 30 gathered Monday to show support for the Illinois senator at the Callen McJunkin Gallery. It's a group that has provided Clinton with much of her support.
"This is a tough one for women," said McJunkin, greeting guests at the door to her Hale Street art gallery.
An Obama supporter, she agreed to hold the gathering at the behest of her daughter, a campaign volunteer.
With both North Carolina's and Indiana's elections set for today, both campaigns are expected to be in high gear in the Mountain State by Wednesday.
"Life will change here Wednesday," Reitz predicted.
The TSG poll said it will be similar to life in neighboring states. Ohio and Pennsylvania gave Clinton majorities. Neighboring Kentucky votes May 20.
TSG said three Virginia counties that border West Virginia are the only border counties to give Obama a majority.
To contact staff writer Tom Searls, use e-mail or call 348-5198.
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