Obama could visit Little 500 Friday

None of it’s official, but Barack Obama is “likely” coming to Bloomington Friday and could show up at the Women’s Little 500 race.\nThe Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign has declined to confirm such a visit, but an attorney who works on election matters for the Democratic party told the Indiana Daily Student that Obama would probably make an unscheduled, unannounced stop in town.\nThe attorney, who is an IU alumnus and said he holds sway with some senior Obama officials, told the campaign that the senator’s best chance to reach IU students would be to appear on campus at Bill Armstrong Stadium before the women’s race kicks off at 4 p.m., he said.\nAnd the timeline surely works. Obama has a speech scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in Columbus, Ind., – about an hour east of Bloomington on Indiana 46. And he’s got another one set for 8:15 p.m. in Terre Haute – an hour and a half \nwest of Bloomington on the same highway. \n“My educated guess is that it’s a totally natural and necessary stop for him to be in Bloomington,” said the attorney, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not a member of the campaign staff.\nThe source stressed that the details are still fluid and that there is no set plan yet. \nCampaign spokeswoman Ganette Tseggai said the Illinois senator has no scheduled stops in Bloomington “at this point.”\nBut, she added, “We are constantly scoping out areas where we can do possible stops.”\nObama is currently visiting cities throughout Indiana as part of a three-day bus tour of the Hoosier state. His trip so far has taken him to South Bend, Gary and Lafayette. \nOn Monday, members of the Secret Service told local law enforcement officials that the senator planned to be in Bloomington Friday, said IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger.\nHowever, the Obama campaign has yet to contact any University or IU Student Foundation officials about an unplanned visit. And the word at an IU Students for Barack Obama meeting Wednesday was that he had no scheduled stops in town, said IU College Democrats President Anna Strand.\nIndiana Democratic voters have found themselves in the spotlight among millions of others nationwide who didn’t expect their primary votes to count. The Hoosier state’s May 6 primary will be one of the last remaining battlegrounds after Pennsylvania Democrats go to the polls at the end of this month.\nWith 86 delegates at stake, a win in Indiana could help end the protracted and tight race between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). Both candidates have made strong showings in Bloomington, though neither has been here personally. Sunday, Dave Matthews played a free concert at Assembly Hall in support of Obama. Tickets for the concert were available April 3 during former President Bill Clinton’s stump speech for his wife on campus.