From the DesMoines Register

Barack Obama has pulled ahead in the race for Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses, while the party's national frontrunner Hillary Clinton has slipped to second in the leadoff nominating state, according to The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll.

Despite the movement, the race for 2008's opening nominating contest remains very competitive about a month before the Jan. 3 caucuses, just over half of likely caucusgoers who favor a candidate saying they could change their minds.

Obama, an Illinois senator, leads for the first time in the Register's poll as the choice of 28 percent of likely caucusgoers, up from 22 percent in October. Clinton, a New York senator, was the preferred candidate of 25 percent, down from 29 percent in the previous poll.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who led in the Register's May poll, held steady with 23 percent, in third place, but part of the three-way battle.

In the new poll, Obama leads with support from 31 percent of women likely attend the caucuses, compared to 26 percent for Clinton. In October, Clinton was the preferred candidate of 34 percent of women caucusgoers, compared to 21 percent for Obama.

Women represent roughly six in 10 Democratic caucusgoers, according to the new poll.

Obama also dominates among younger caucusgoers, with support from 48 percent from those younger than 35. Clinton was the choice of 19 percent in that group and Edwards of 17 percent.

The under-35 bloc represents 14 percent of Democratic caucusgoers, up from 9 percent in the October poll.

Obama has an advantage among first-time caucusgoers. He also leads among people who say they definitely will attend the caucuses.

The Illinois chapter of the country's major government-employees union broke with its national organization Saturday to endorse Barack Obama for president...

Bayer said Illinois AFSCME members have seen Obama stand up for working people over the past 20 years, first as a community organizer, then as a state legislator and now as a U.S. senator. Obama knows how to bridge partisan differences to get results, Bayer said.

As Americans gather with family and friends and reflect on what we're thankful for, let's all do our part to help the growing number of people who have no place to go for a meal on Thanksgiving - or any other day.

As a result of rising costs on everything from health care to gasoline, more and more Americans can't afford to put food on the table. At the same time, pantries are being stretched thin as a result of reduced donations and cuts in government assistance. A report released last week showed that the number of Americans without food security grew by 300,000 from 2005 to 2006. That is unacceptable in this country, of all countries.

To help address this, we need to stand up to the special interests, bring Republicans and Democrats together, and pass the Farm Bill immediately. And while we're at it, let's strengthen the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Food Stamp Program and the Commodity Supplemental Food Programs and launch additional anti-hunger initiatives to help ensure that no American goes hungry.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I'll be visiting the New Horizons food pantry in Manchester, New Hampshire. And I encourage all Americans to do what they can every day to help those in need - because the best way to show our gratitude for what we have is by doing our part for those who have less.

Overall, in current preferences, 30 percent in Iowa support Obama, 26 percent Clinton and 22 percent Edwards, with 11 percent for Bill Richardson. That's little changed since July (Edwards -4, Obama +3, both within sampling tolerances, and Clinton unchanged).

Among those who say they're "absolutely certain" to attend a caucus, Obama has 28 percent support, Clinton 26 percent -- again very close, and a contrast to Clinton's nearly 2-1 lead over Obama nationally.

Obama leads...
Giuliani by 13 points
Romney by 14 points
Huckabee by 21 points
McCain by 8 points

Still ahead in Iowa in most matchups, but by smaller and, over time, narrowing margins, is Hillary Clinton. Today, Clinton leads...

Giuliani by 4 points. (1/3 of Obama's lead)
Romney by 6 points. (1/2 of Obama's lead)
Huckabee by 6 points (1/3 of Obama's lead)
...but trails McCain by 4 points.

Here are some excerpts from that interview.

Why Colorado? For a few reasons. One, the whole Rocky Mountains is emerging in political importance, and especially trending blue. I think Sen. Obama's message is resonating with those independent voters in the Southwest and Rocky Mountains. We haven't done any polling in Colorado, but polls in other states show he's very popular with independent voters.

We think we have the best chance to win Colorado.

The second part of that is: It's a caucus state. It's a town hall setting. You meet in person. You've got to go to a meeting for an hour and vote with your body. Historically, not a lot of people go.

We think Obama's grassroots energy plays right into that. We're able to turn folks out to the caucus that have never participated before. We know we're changing the demographic of the caucus.

Nearly one in three people at last night's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was an Obama supporter. The campaign brought 3,000 supporters to a dinner that had 9,000 attendees. They also made sure to have a representative from each of Iowa's 99 counties in attendance.??When asked if all of the Obama supporters attending the event were from Iowa, Obama's Iowa Press Secretary Tommy Vietor said, "All of them. Except for my dad."

Saying he was running "because of the fierce urgency of now," a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr....in a room filled with 9,000 Democrats that had spent the better part of the night slamming the Republican Party, [Obama] told the audience that he was running to reach across the aisle to those Independents and Republicans disaffected by the past seven years.

...Obama's speech was buoyed by his large crowd of supporters. They chanted, yelled and stood up and cheered as he evoked the civil rights movement to talk about how he could only stand on this stage because those who had come before him were not afraid to take the difficult positions that he is supposedly espousing now.??But rather than drawing energy from the crowd to give the pep-rally style, exuberant speeches he is known for on the stump, Obama's tone was somber, his demeanor serious. He ended on an appeal to Iowans and fellow Democrats.??"That's why I am asking you stop settling for what the cynics say we have to accept," Obama said. "In this election, in this moment, let us reach for what we know is possible -- a world repaired, an America that knows it can believe again."

On a sunny, 60 degree fall day at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hundreds of students and faculty poured out onto the quad to watch as the MTV/MySpace Presidential Dialogue was being taped and streamed live on MySpace.

Barack was fired up and answered questions for over an hour.

   Read More »

In the 30 second ad, Barack pledges to restore American leadership in the world by breaking out of conventional Washington thinking that has left America less safe, and showing the strength to negotiate with our adversaries, not just our friends.

"We are a beacon of light around the world. At least that's what we can be again. That's what we should be again," Obama says. "When we break out of the conventional thinking and we start reaching out to friend and foe alike, then I am absolutely confident that we can restore America's leadership in the world."

Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, has made his relatively recent entry into national politics a selling point for his campaign. In turn, he has repeatedly criticized front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton as too entrenched in the political establishment to bring about effective change or end the war in Iraq.

"I want to go before the world and say America's back. America is back," Obama says in the spot airing in this leadoff primary state.

Arizona Republic

A young, idealistic, enthusiastic crowd alternated between rapt and raucous as a youthful-looking, idealistic, enthusiastic Barack Obama spoke of his vision for America at Arizona State University Friday.

"Obama is for change and for peace, and that's what this country needs," said Randi Stevenson, 18, as she waited to hear the democratic presidential candidate. "He knows we have to change our health care system and we have to pull our troops out of Iraq. That's what we want to hear."

  Sylvia Lopez, 33,  an education major, called Obama, "a man like John F. Kennedy."

"He is young and fresh and has new ideas for the country, and this country is ready for that kind of person again," she said. "He wants to change things."

Not everyone in the crowd was an ASU student. United States Navy boson's mate Counsil Griffin, 30, stationed in Phoenix, said he was there to see history.

  "I'm here to be part of this, a part of the history that this man is making, a man with different and fresh ideas," he said.

  When Obama finally strode out onto the stage set up on Hayden Lawn, the crowd shouted, cheered, laughed and applauded wildly.

He said he stood for reinvigorating America, for creating a system in which every American is guaranteed health care, in which every child is guaranteed a first-rate education and where America is no longer an energy-dependent nation.

He closed by telling a story about speaking to a group in the South where a woman stood behind him and led the crowd in enthusiastic chants. He said the woman would call out, "Are you fired up?" and the crowd would shout back the chant. Then she'd say, "Are you ready to go?" and the crowd would shout it right back.

Obama shouted to the young, idealistic, happy, enthusiastic ASU audience, "Are you fired up?" and the buildings in the ASU mall echoed with 5,800 voices shouting back. Then the young candidate shouted, "Are you ready to go?" and thousands of voice shouted that they were.

  "Then let's go change the world!" Obama said, stepped off the stage and began to shake hands.   Read More »

DENVER - "We're taking this state seriously and we're going to win here in Colorado," said National Campaign Co-Chairman Federico Pena.
Pena, who is both a former Denver Mayor and Washington two-time Cabinet Secretary, was on hand Thursday night to help open the first candidate campaign office in the state.

"Kerry could have won Colorado in the last presidential election, had his people sent staffers and money into the state, but they didn't and the rest is history. He lost a state that he could have won, we're not going to take the same chance."

Ray Riveria, who is serving as the State Director for the campaign, says Barack Obama is doing things right.

"He is the leading fund raiser of all candidates with $76 million in his campaign chest, and more than $1.6 million alone in Colorado.
But what is most amazing, is that $21 million has come form people giving $200 or less. And just to make sense of it all, so far more than 350,000 citizens have given to Obama."

To date, 10 states now have campaign offices. And when Nevada opens it's headquarters in a couple of days, that will mean five states in the "red west" have Obama offices open. (California, Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado)

The office is located at 1029 Santa Fe in Denver.

Four million American children were denied basic health coverage today because Washington politicians failed to stand up to this President’s disgraceful veto. At a time when we’re spending billions of dollars on a war that never should’ve been authorized and giving billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, Washington’s failure shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans. ?? When I am President, I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term that will cover every American and cut costs more dramatically than any other plan offered by a candidate in this race. And I’ll do it by bringing Republicans and Democrats together, like I did when I expanded health care for an additional 150,000 children and their parents as an Illinois state Senator.

I'm leaving the Tonight Show studio and I wanted to share something.

Jay Leno just asked if it bothers me that some of the Washington pundits are declaring Hillary Clinton the winner of this election before a single vote has been cast.

I'll tell you what I told him: Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare "Mission Accomplished" a little too soon.

We started this week $2.1 million behind the Clinton campaign -- a lead they built in large part with contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs.

We don't accept money from federal lobbyists or PACs. But we've already cut that advantage in half with small donations from people like you.

Let's close the rest of that gap now. Please make a donation of $50:
https://donate.barackobama.com/closegap

Denver, CO - Without accepting contributions from PACs or federal lobbyists, the Obama for America campaign today announced it raised $302,097 from 3,151 Colorado donors during the third quarter.  More than 8,000 Coloradans have contributed to the Obama campaign to date, raising a total of  $1,616, 869. 

"Thousands are joining our campaign in Colorado because they know Barack Obama has the experience America needs to take on special interests and unite Americans to bring change," said Colorado State Director Ray Rivera.  “Many of these donors will also expand support to their friends and neighbors by going door-to-door, making phone calls and actively helping Barack Obama become the next President of the United States.  This is just one more indication we are on track to turn the enthusiasm for our campaign into organizational strength that will to turn out the vote on February 5th." 

The campaign also opened offices in the state last month and has begun building a team of paid staff focused. During the third quarter nationwide, the Obama campaign today announced that they raised $20 million for the primary through 108,000 new donors.  94% of those were $250 or less and 89.5% were $100 or less. 

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For Immediate Release: October 17, 2007  Contact: Jen Psaki 312-819-2583