Obama's last-minute ad blitz puts Georgia in play

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who had abandoned Georgia, a reliable Republican state, is investing in ads as polls show a close race with rival John McCain. Obama's campaign has been buoyed by heavy black turnout among early voters, while Georgia Republicans, whose enthusiasm helped drive George W. Bush's election and re-election, are grappling with widespread dissatisfaction with Bush and the US economy. "They are in a bad mood," says Ginger Howard, an Atlanta dress shop owner who organizes volunteers for the Republican part. "I have not seen the same energy." Republican leaders scoffed at Obama's earlier vow to make a play for Georgia, which has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992. When his campaign withdrew its local advertising in September, the Illinois senator appeared to be giving in to the reality that turning this red state blue was an unreachable goal. But McCain's support in the state has always been lukewarm. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the state's Feb. 5 presidential primary with strong support from Christian and independent voters.