Battle For Missouri Tightens

The Obama campaign has tightened the race in Missouri, after months of lagging behind in polls. (NYT) Missouri has voted for the presidential winner all but once in 100 years, and is currently the closest swing state race. 2,000 Obama volunteers blanket the state, and 250,000 new voters have been registered, many of them in urban Kansas City and St. Louis where Obama polls well. The McCain campaign increased its offices from 10 to 16 in the past month, though Republicans admit being discouraged.

But 30% of Missouri is rural and 37% are evangelical, posing challenges for Obama. “There’s concern that Obama is associated with people that don’t like us, and don’t look like us,” said local lawyer Dan Hale.