Obama Aims Blue Paintbrush at Red States

Barack Obama’s campaign will hit GOP-dominated states as the candidate looks toward November, starting tomorrow with North Carolina, the New York Times reports. Obama hopes he can turn those states blue with the help of get-out-the-vote operations launched during the primaries—and aims to use his financial heft to compete in states that haven't voted Democratic in decades.

Alaska last voted for a Democrat in 1964. “Do we have reason to think we can be competitive there?" said Obama's campaign manager. "Yes. This is where the primary was really helpful to us now.” By competing in red states, Obama forces John McCain to spend time and effort in states that should have been a foregone conclusion. He'll couple that effort with a record-breaking TV advertising campaign, aimed at giving the country a better look at his biography. (More Barack Obama stories.)