Campaigns still focused on Va.

By Uriah A. Kiser

Published: November 2, 2008

With multiple visits by the two presidential candidates in the past 6 months, it seems Prince William remains an Election Day focus.

On his second trip to the county, Sen. Barack Obama will end his presidential campaign at the Prince William County Fairgrounds on Monday night.

The Democratic Party nominee kicked off his post-primary campaign at nearby Nissan Pavilion, speaking to more than 7,000 people. Campaign officials are expecting even more to show this time.

Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain campaigned last month at the county’s government center in front of nearly 10,000 supporters.

McCain stumped in Northern Virginia again Saturday.

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who also appeared in the Manassas area earlier this year, was in Fairfax Sunday campaigning for Obama.

With all of the attention put on the commonwealth, in Northern Virginia particularly, voters said this election has become increasingly harder to ignore.

“I like that Barack Obama supports solar energy, but the Republicans represent the religious right and I like that too,” said Jeanne Yawberg of Lake Ridge.

Yawberg said she plans to vote early Tuesday morning to avoid the anticipated long lines. She said her church pastor told her to research the candidates online before she voted.

“He said there are particular things we should look for on their Web sites, but didn’t tell us who to vote for,” Yawberg said.

Obama leads McCain in Virginia by nearly three points in almost every opinion poll.

RealClearPolitics.com has Obama at 49 percent to McCain’s 46 percent in the commonwealth.

Both campaigns are working hard to win Virginia’s 13 electoral votes, in a state that is usually considered a shoe-in for Republicans.

For the past seven years the commonwealth has been led by a Democrat governor. With the rise of Virginia Sen. Jim Webb in 2006, Democrats have made inroads on the usual GOP stronghold.

A freshman entering college next year, Tamara McAllister, 18, of Woodbridge, said Obama is the candidate who represents change.

“I am going to school on a scholarship. I just moved out on my own, so education and affordable housing really affects me. This is the most important election ever,” McAllister said.

Some said the attention paid to Virginia by both of the candidates is a waste of time.

“I think most people know who they are going to vote for and the site visits by the candidates are unwarranted,” said Damon Moritz of Lake Ridge.

He and his wife, Bridgette, are McCain supporters who say they are embarrassed about Prince William County’s alarming rate of foreclosures.

They said they can’t understand why the county has become a stop on the road to the White House.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.