Obama to address crowd in Indy

Democrats in Indiana are pulling out all the stops, sending Democratic nominee Barack Obama back to Indianapolis today for his 47th visit to the state this year and seventh since the May primary.

Republican nominee John McCain hasn’t visited Hoosiers since July 1, but his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will visit Fort Wayne on Saturday, eight days after her visit to Noblesville, Ind.

Obama will make his second stop in a little more than two weeks at 11 a.m. today at the American Legion Mall, 431 N. Meridian St. in Indianapolis. Obama will encourage voters to vote early as well as talk about his middle-class tax relief plan during tough economic times, said Jonathan Swain, Indiana’s communications manager for the Obama campaign.

The last time Obama spoke at the outdoor venue was on the eve of the May primary, which he narrowly lost to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., on May 6. That event drew a crowd of 21,000.

The Indianapolis stop will be Obama’s last before taking two days off the trail to visit his ailing grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, in Hawaii.

Swain said the polls show that the race is tight in Indiana, which hasn’t voted for a presidential Democratic nominee since 1964.

“He’s committed to this state,” Swain said. “We certainly do believe that he has a shot at winning Indiana.”

Swain said the only Democrats in recent history who campaigned in Indiana in October were Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and Harry Truman in 1948.

“The thing I can tell you is that obviously it’s very rare that a presidential candidate has campaigned in this state this late in the race,” Swain said.

The event is free and open to the public, though those attending are encouraged to RSVP at www.indiana.barackobama.com, and gates open at 9 a.m. Obama drew 21,000 fans Oct. 8 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

“Obviously we know that this is going to take a lot of hard work on our part,” Swain said. “We’re not going to take any vote for granted and any of this for granted.”

Rose Byrne, president of Students for Barack Obama at IU, said it was exciting for Obama to keep coming to Indiana and fighting for it to vote Democrat.

“We’re the most competitive state in the nation,” Byrne said. “Indiana’s just becoming an absolute battleground.”

Despite the fact that Obama has visited Indiana close to 50 times this year, Byrne said voters still need to hear his message.

“I think people are really feeling the effects of the economy in shambles,” she said. “We have a person coming here saying we’re going to change that.”

Though Republicans haven’t been visiting the state as often, starting Wednesday the McCain campaign began airing ads on local channels. The ads allow people without cable to see ads as well, said Jennifer Hallowell, regional campaign manager for McCain.

“Hoosiers have seen McCain ads on national cable channels over the past few months,” Hallowell said. “Now they’ll start seeing them on their local Indiana stations at a much greater frequency.”

As for the chances of McCain making a personal visit here within the final 12 days, Hallowell couldn’t comment, she said.

“I can’t release any events until they’re confirmed,” she said. “The last two weeks, the schedule is ever-changing.”