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Barack Obama, the junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. He is seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election. Obama announced at the Olde State Capitol building where Abraham Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech in 1858. Obama's initial victory in the Iowa caucus brought him to national prominence out of the crowded field of Democratic challengers, and his campaign began to trade a series of hard-fought state wins with expected frontrunner Hillary Clinton in January, a trend which continued through Super Tuesday, where Obama had great success in large rural states, and Clinton was nearly as dominant in high-population coastal areas. Obama continued to have remarkable fundraising and electoral success in February, winning all 11 state and territorial-level contests following Super Tuesday, and "chipping-away" at Clinton's core supporters in key states. Approaching the crucial Texas and Ohio primaries, Obama has pulled ahead in the delegate race. He is estimated to have 1,154 elected and pledged delegates, leading his opponent by 143; his count of unelected and unpledged superdelegates continues to trail Hillary Clinton by 73. This leads to an overall Obama lead of 1,315 to Clinton's 1,245, towards the 2,025 total (pledged and unpledged) delegates needed to win the nomination.

Pre-announcement

Obama's keynote speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention sparked expectations that he would run for the presidency. Speculation on a 2008 presidential run intensified after Obama's decisive U.S. Senate election win in November 2004. At that time he told reporters: "I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years."

However, in an October 2006 interview on the television program Meet the Press, Obama appeared to open the possibility of a 2008 presidential bid. Illinois Senator Richard Durbin and Illinois State Comptroller Daniel Hynes were early advocates for a 2008 Obama presidential run. Many people in the entertainment community have also expressed readiness to campaign for an Obama presidency, including celebrity television show host Oprah Winfrey, singer Macy Gray, and film actors George Clooney, Halle Berry and Will Smith.

In September 2006, Obama was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, a political event traditionally attended by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses. In December 2006, Obama spoke at a New Hampshire event celebrating Democratic Party midterm election victories in the first-in-the-nation U.S. presidential primary state, drawing 1,500 people.

Speaking at a Democratic National Committee meeting one week before the February announcement, Obama called for putting an end to negative campaigning. "This can't be about who digs up more skeletons on who, who makes the fewest slip-ups on the campaign trail," he said. "We owe it to the American people to do more than that."

Announcement of candidacy

On January 16, 2007, Obama announced via a video on his website that he had formed a presidential exploratory committee. On February 10, he formally announced his candidacy for the presidency. In his announcement speech, Obama evoked the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, saying:

"It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people - where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States."

Campaign staff and policy team

On January 14 2007, the Chicago Tribune reported that Obama had begun assembling his team for a 2008 presidential campaign to be headquartered in Chicago. His team includes Chicago-based political consultant David Plouffe, who is serving as campaign manager, Plouffe's partner, David Axelrod, who is serving as a media consultant, and Robert Gibbs, who is serving as communications director, and who was previously press secretary for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. Former Commerce Secretary and Gore campaign chairman William M. Daley is expected to serve in an as-yet-unspecified senior adviser role. A number of Obama's top aides have backgrounds with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who left the Senate due to re-election defeat at the same time Obama was entering it.

In June 2007, investigative reporter Robert Parry reported that Obama had sought foreign policy advice from former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell. Parry suggested that this was a move toward the political center in preparation for the general election.

Campaign developments

First half 2007

In March 2007, Obama posted a question on Yahoo! Answers, entitled: "How can we engage more people in the democratic process?" which ultimately drew in over 17,000 responses.

On 12 April 2007, Bo Dietl, a regular guest on Imus in the Morning, repeatedly called attention to Obama's middle name (Hussein, as in Saddam Hussein) during an interview with Rebecca Gomez, and Imus in the Morning producer Bernard McGuirk was quoted as saying Obama had a "Jew-hating name." This is possible retaliation for Obama's call for the shows host, Don Imus to be fired after the Rutgers basketball incident.

On May 3, 2007, citing no specific threat but motivated by the large volume of hate mail directed at the Senator, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff announced that the United States Secret Service would provide protection for the campaign. This protection will include bodyguards for Obama, advance teams of agents to secure event sites, armored vehicles, and other services/resources similar to those employed for the safety of the President of the United States, albeit on a proportionally smaller level. Normally, presidential candidates are not offered Secret Service protection until early February of election year; this was the earliest protection had ever been granted.

Second half 2007

On August 1 when making his foreign policy speech Obama created controversy by declaring that the United States must be willing to strike al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan, with or without the consent of the Pakistani government. He stated that if elected, "If we have actionable intelligence about high value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will". ABC News described the policy speech as "counterintuitive", and commented on how "one of the more liberal candidates in the race, is proposing a geopolitical posture that is more aggressive than that of President Bush"

After weeks of discourse surrounding the policy, Obama said there was "misreporting" of his comments, claiming that, "I never called for an invasion of Pakistan or Afghanistan." He clarified that rather than a surge in the number of troops in Iraq, there needs to be a "diplomatic surge" and that if there were "actionable intelligence reports" showing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the U.S. troops as a last resort should enter and try to capture terrorists. That would happen, he added, only if "the Pakistani government was unable or unwilling" to go after the terrorists.

As Democratic debates took place during the summer, Obama received at best mixed notices for his efforts. Democratic strategist Bob Shrum said, "He slips into this tendency, which he probably learned as president of the Harvard Law Review, to overstate his premises before he states his position. In politics, you do the opposite of what you do in the Law Review—you state your position, then say your premises—if you ever get to them." Commentator Eleanor Clift said that, "Obama is almost too cerebral for the sound-bite world of modern politics, but that's part of his appeal."

During a campaign stop in October 2007, a reporter inquired as to why Obama had stopped wearing a lapel pin of the American flag, which he had started wearing after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and his response was that it had come to feel like "a substitute for true patriotism". This led to discussion on the cable news channels and was covered by satirists such as Stephen Colbert, who had an ongoing disagreement with the Fox & Friends assertion that "this is America and if you want to be president of America, it might be behoove him to wear an American flag". Commentator Bill Maher, who was highly critical of such questions about Obama's patriotism and called it a "non-story" nonetheless referred to the incident as "he first genuine controversy of the presidential campaign".

In mid-late October 2007, Obama came under fire from the Human Rights Campaign and others for a South Carolina gospel music campaign tour that featured singer Donnie McClurkin, who states that he is "ex-gay" and that homosexuality is a "curse the intention of God." Obama said in response that, "I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin's views." While not replacing McClurkin, the campaign added a gay minister to the tour.

As fall 2007 continued, Obama fell further behind Clinton in national polls. In late October 2007, two months before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Obama began directly charging his top rival with failing to clearly state her political positions. This shift in approach attracted much media commentary; The New York Times' Adam Nagourney wrote that, "Obama has appeared to struggle from the start of this campaign with how to marry what he has promised to be a new approach to politics — free of the partisan bitterness that has marked presidential campaigns for so long — with what it takes to actually win a presidential race." In an early-anticipated October 30 Democratic debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Clinton suffered a poor debate performance under cross-examination from her Democratic rivals and the moderator. Obama's campaign was reinvigorated and he began to climb again in the polls.

Campaigning in November 2007, Obama told the Washington Post that as the Democratic nominee he would draw more support from independent and Republican voters in the general election than Clinton. At Iowa's Jefferson-Jackson fundraising dinner Obama expanded the theme, saying that his presidency would "bring the country together in a new majority" to seek solutions to long-standing problems.

On November 21st, Obama announced that Oprah Winfrey would be campaigning for him in the early primary states, setting off speculation that, although celebrity endorsements typically have little effect on voter opinions, Oprah's participation would supply Obama with a large, receptive audience. Then, on December 8, Oprah kicked-off a three-state tour supporting Obama's campaign, which drew record-setting crowds in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. The Oprah-Obama tour dominated political news headlines and cast doubts over Clinton's ability to recover her recently-lost lead in Iowa caucus polls.

Later in December, there was controversy regarding Obama's admissions of drug use as a teen. Obama first publicly acknowledged the issue in his 1995 book, Dreams from My Father. In the book, Obama said "Pot had helped, and booze. Maybe a little blow when you could afford it." The issue was revived on the campaign trail after a November 2007 speech at a New Hampshire high school. Obama told the students, "I've made some bad decisions that I've actually written about," noting that his "drinking and experimenting with drugs" accounted for a lot of "wasted time" in high school. Some, including Republican candidate Mitt Romney, criticized Obama for discussing these examples with students. Romney said that "in order to leave the best possible example for our kids, we're probably wisest not to talk about our own indiscretions in great detail." However, fellow GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani and Partnership for a Drug-Free America president Steve Pasierb praised Obama's candor. "I respect his honesty," Giuliani said. Pasierb told CNN that "really the truth works best" when discussing drug use with kids. Bill Shaheen, the co-chairman of Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire, mentioned the drug use in a December 12 conference call with reporters. Shaheen said that if Obama were to win the nomination, Republicans would use Obama's admissions against him in a general election. He suggested that in such a scenario, Republicans would ask, "'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'" He added that such "Republican dirty tricks" would be difficult to overcome. The comments immediately caused controversy, and Shaheen resigned the next day. Clinton denounced the comments and personally apologized to Obama. Her spokesman said that she "made it clear that this kind of negative personal statement has no part in this campaign." Appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Axelrod accused the Clinton campaign of giving a "wink and a nod" to negative tactics. He criticized Clinton's December 3 statement in which she signaled a more aggressive approach and called it the "fun part" of the campaign. Axelrod said that the signal should come "from the top" that the campaigns will not be waged "in the gutter".

When the close proximity of the first contests to the holidays prompted many candidates to release Christmas videos — allowing them to continue presenting their messages, but in more seasonal settings — Obama chose one that gave speaking parts to his wife and daughters and emphasized a message of thanks and unity.

"Fired up! Ready to go!"

"Fired up! Ready to go!" became a rallying cry ubiquitous to Obama's campaign. According to the The New York Times, the chant originated during a rainy, early morning campaign stop during the summer in Greenwood, South Carolina. Obama was feeling fatigued among a small group of supporters, who reportedly were "miserable." When out of the blue, as Obama recounts:

A little woman, about 5-3, 65 years old, in a big church hat, with big glasses, she’s smiling right at me. She says, ‘Fired up!’ I jumped, but everyone acted like this was normal. They all said, ‘Fired up!’ We hear the same voice saying, ‘Ready to go!’ And the people, they all say, ‘Ready to go!’

This story is frequently recalled during Obama's stump speeches on how "one voice can change a room." The woman in the story, Councilwoman Edith Childs, appeared later with Obama at a rally in South Carolina. She later told reporters that if he were to win the presidency, that she would want one thing: "I want an invitation to an inaugural ball!"

Caucuses and primaries 2008

Iowa

Obama won the first contest in the Democratic nomination season, the January 3, 2008 Iowa Democratic caucus. Obama had the support of 37.6% of Iowa's delegates, compared to 29.7% for John Edwards and 29.5% for Hillary Clinton. In his remarks to his followers that evening, he said "But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do." He further noted that "our time for change has come" and suggested that in the future Americans will look back on the 2008 Iowa caucuses and say, "this is the moment when it all began."

New Hampshire

Obama's win in Iowa was seen as a boost to his already-improving chances in New Hampshire. On January 4, he told supporters in New Hampshire, "If you give me the same chance that Iowa gave me last night I truly believe that I will be the president of the United States of America." The campaign received another boost when former Senator and 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley endorsed Obama on January 6. At the ABC News/WMUR-TV Democratic debate in Manchester on January 5, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards all battled over who best exemplified the buzzword of the campaign, "change". In one key exchange, Clinton said, clearly targeting Obama's rhetorical prowess, "Making change is not about what you believe; it's not about a speech you make. ... We don't need to be raising false hopes." Obama replied that "The truth is, actually, words do inspire. Words do help people get involved."

Polling showed a tight race in the days leading up to the New Hampshire primary. All of the candidates barnstormed in New Hampshire during the four days after the Iowa caucuses, targeting undecided and independent voters in the state. The day before the election, polls conducted by CNN/WMUR, Rasmussen Reports and USA Today/Gallup showed Obama jumping ahead by 9, 10 and 13 points respectively. Despite the apparent surge of momentum, Clinton defeated Obama by a margin of 39.1% to 36.5% in the New Hampshire primary on January 8, 2008. Obama told supporters that he was "still fired up and ready to go", echoing a theme of his campaign. While he acknowledged that he faced a fight for the nomination, he said that "nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change".

Meanwhile, Internet theories sprung up about how the vote counting itself had been suspect, due to discrepancies between machine-counted votes (which supported Clinton overall) and hand-counted votes (which supported Obama overall). Fifth-place finisher Dennis Kucinich's campaign paid $25,000 to have a recount done of all Democratic ballots cast in the primary, saying "It is imperative that these questions be addressed in the interest of public confidence in the integrity of the election process and the election machinery." On January 16 the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office began the recount. After recounting 23% of the state's democratic primary votes, the Secretary of State announced that no significant difference was found in any candidate's total, and that the oft-discussed discrepancy between hand-counted and machine-counted ballots was solely due to demographic factors.

Nevada

The Nevada Caucus took place on January 19. Obama received the endorsement of two very important unions in the state: the Culinary Workers Union (whose 60,000 members staff the casinos and resorts of Las Vegas and elsewhere) and the Nevada chapter of the SEIU. Clinton countered by appealing to the Hispanic vote in the state, emphasizing that they were at special risk from the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis.

Prior to the caucus, comments made by Obama concerning former Republican president Ronald Reagan attracted rebuke from rivals and dissection from all sections of the media. Obama had stated in an interview that; "Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not." Hillary Clinton ridiculed the idea that the Republicans were the party of ideas, suggesting Mr. Obama had said that the Republicans had “better” ideas. Senator John Edwards criticized Obama specifically for referring to Ronald Reagan as an agent of change stating in a newspaper interview that; “I would never use Ronald Reagan as an example of change.”

One day after the Culinary Workers Union endorsed Obama, the Nevada State Education Association—a teachers' union that has not officially endorsed Clinton, but many of its top officials have—filed a lawsuit seeking to eliminate at-large caucus sites that had been setup in nine Las Vegas resorts saying they violated equal protection and one-person-one-vote requirements. The suit was viewed as a proxy legal battle between Clinton and Obama, as the caucus sites within the casinos would be primarily used by members of the CWU, who are more likely to vote for Obama. This led Obama to allege that the suit was filed in order to hurt his chances at the caucuses. "Some of the people who set up the rules apparently didn't think we'd be as competitive as we were and trying to change them last minute," he said.

On January 17, a federal judge ruled that the casino at-large caucus plan could go ahead. This was seen as a win for Obama because of the Culinary Workers Union endorsement. To further complicate matters, the major news and polling organizations decided to not do any polls before the Nevada caucuses, fearing the newness of the caucus, the transient nature of Nevada's population, and more fallout from their bad experience in New Hampshire.

Clinton finished first in the state delegate count on January 19, winning 51% of delegates to the state convention. However, Obama was projected to win the Nevada national delegate count with 13 delegates to Clinton's 12, because the apportionment of some delegates are determined by Congressional District . Delegates to the national convention will be determined officially at the April 19 state convention. On January 23, the Obama campaign filed an official letter of complaint with the Nevada Democratic Party charging the Clinton campaign with many violations of party rules during the caucuses, based upon 1,600 complaints they had received. The Clinton camp said the Obama operation was "grasping at straws" and that they had their own complaints about Obama campaign actions during the caucuses.

South Carolina

Rasmussen Reports released a poll January 7 showing that Obama led by 12 points, at 42% to Hillary Clinton's 30%. This was a substantial jump from December when the two were tied at 33%, and from November when Clinton led Obama by 10 points.

Issues of race came to the forefront as campaigning began for the South Carolina primary, the first to feature a large African American portion in the Democratic electorate. First, Bill Clinton referred to Obama's claim that he has been a staunch opponent of the Iraq War from the beginning as a "fairy tale," which some thought was a characterization of Obama's entire campaign. The former President called in to Al Sharpton's radio show to personally clarify that he respected and believed in Obama's viability.

Around the same time, Hillary Clinton said regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. in an interview with Fox News, "I would point to the fact that that Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the President before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became a real in people's lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it, and actually got it accomplished." Some African-American leaders took this statement as a denigration of the accomplishments of King and the larger American civil rights movement. Hillary Clinton proceeded to blame Obama for the controversy, claiming his campaign had fanned the flames, a charge which Obama dismissed as "ludicrous". By shortly before, and during, a January 15 Democratic debate in Nevada, Clinton and Obama declared a truce on the matter, with both making reconciliatory statements about race, gender, and each other. However, Clinton's support among African Americans was thought to be damaged, with SUNY Albany's Debra Dickerson stating "The Clintons have to do something dramatic and symbolic to win back the trust of many African-Americans."

In part the tension resulted from the historical coincidence of the first viable African American presidential candidate, and the first viable woman candidate, running against each other in the same nomination race. One South Carolina pastor lamented that he had been waiting all his life for either "first" to happen, and said, "I really hate that they had to run at the same time in the same election. It just makes what should be a wonderful situation very stressful for folk like me. I never imagined you could have too much of a good thing." The American Civil Rights Movement and feminism had a long intertwined history in the United States, often working in concert but sometimes opposed; while the bitter 19th century split between Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Frederick Douglass illustrated the latter, the unified opposition to the Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas had exemplified the former. After the Clinton-Obama tension on this matter, one Democrat said, "After Iowa, Obama was the post-racial candidate who appealed to all of our better natures. Now he's a black politician and she's a woman. And it is back to politics as usual."

The January 22 CNN/Congressional Black Caucus debate in Myrtle Beach was the most heated face-to-face meeting yet between the candidates, reflecting apparent personal animosity. Clinton criticized Obama for voting "present" on many occasions while in the Illinois legislature. "It's hard to have a straight up debate with you because you never take responsibility for any vote," she said. Obama said that he was working to help unemployed workers in Chicago while Clinton was "a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart." He also took issue with statements made on the campaign trail by Bill Clinton, saying "I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes." The confrontation was the most-watched primary season debate in cable television news history.

On January 26, Obama won by a more than two-to-one margin over Clinton, gaining 55% of the vote to her 27% and Edwards' 18%. In his victory speech that night, he said, "Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina." Addressing the racial dust-up and the other campaign back-and-forths between himself and the Clintons, he said, "The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."

Florida

In the last vote prior to Super Tuesday, Obama finished far behind Clinton in Florida. However, the state was previously stripped of all its delegates to the national convention for breaking party rules by moving its primary to before February 5. All candidates abided by an agreement not to campaign in Florida. Nonetheless, Clinton celebrated the win and claimed that it gave her momentum heading to Super Tuesday. The Obama campaign, however, said that Clinton was "basically trying to take a victory lap when there was no race."

Super Tuesday

Following his win in South Carolina, Obama received the endorsement of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, as well as Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, the former President's brother. Ted Kennedy's endorsement was considered "the biggest Democratic endorsement Obama could possibly get short of Bill Clinton or Al Gore". In particular, it gave the possibility of improving Obama's support among unions, Hispanics, and traditional base Democrats, all demographics that Clinton had been stronger in to this point. Obama won 13 of 22 states on Super Tuesday: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, and Utah. His campaign claimed to have won more delegates.

More February contests

On February 9, Obama won the Louisiana primary, as well as caucuses in Nebraska and Washington State. He garnered 57% of the available delegates in Louisiana, and 68% in both Nebraska and Washington. On the same day, he won caucuses in Virgin Islands with 92% of the popular vote. The next day, Obama took the Maine caucuses amid what one senior Maine Democratic official called an "incredible" turnout.

The "Potomac primary" took place on February 12. It included the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. There were 168 delegates up for grabs in the three primaries. Obama won all three, taking 75% of the popular vote in the District of Columbia, 60% in Maryland and 64% in Virginia. "Today, the change we seek swept through Chesapeake and over the Potomac," Obama said at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin that night.

Two more primaries followed on February 19: Wisconsin and Hawaii. Obama won both decisively, taking 58% of the vote in Wisconsin and 14 of the 20 available national delegates in Hawaii. On February 21, Obama was announced as the winner of the week-long Democrats Abroad contest.

Role of superdelegates

Following the Potomac primary, the potential role of superdelegates in deciding the Democratic nomination was heavily discussed. In particular, the possibility of one candidate gaining more pledged delegates from primary and caucus wins, but losing the nomination to the other due to the decisions of superdelegates, made some Democratic leaders uncomfortable. The Clinton camp, behind in pledged delegates, advocated that superdelegates exercise their own judgment in deciding which candidate to back, while the Obama camp, ahead in pledged delegates, advocated that superdelegates follow the will of the voters and back whichever candidate had the most pledged delegates. Some party leaders, such as U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, argued for the latter interpretation, while others such as Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean argued for the former.

African American superdelegates previously pledged to Clinton, found themselves under pressure to switch to supporting Obama's historic candidacy; Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. suggested that those staying with Clinton might face Democratic primary challenges in the future. MoveOn.org started an Internet petition to urge superdelegates to "let the voters decide between Clinton and Obama, then support the people's choice."

While Clinton was viewed as having an institutional advantage in amassing superdelegates by virtue of her fifteen years of national prominence in party politics, Obama had heavily outspent Clinton in previous contributions to superdelegates through their political action committees.

Delegate count

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Media coverage

An October 29, 2007 study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy found that through the first half of 2007, Obama had received by far the most favorable media coverage of any of the 2008 presidential candidates, with 47% of stories having a favorable tone towards him, 16% having an unfavorable tone, and the balance neutral. In terms of amount of coverage, Obama had been the subject of 14% of all campaign coverage, the second largest amount after Clinton.

By December 2007, the Clinton campaign charged that Obama's campaign was getting much more favorable media treatment than their own, especially once Clinton's poll results began slipping. Washington Post media analyst Howard Kurtz found a number of journalists who agreed with the claim, with Mark Halperin, Time magazine's editor-at-large for political news, saying, "Your typical reporter has a thinly disguised preference that Barack Obama be the nominee. The narrative of him beating her is better than her beating him, in part because she's a Clinton and in part because he's a young African American. ... There's no one rooting for her to come back."

Shortly before the New Hampshire primary, NBC anchor Brian Williams conceded that at least one NBC reporter said regarding Obama, "it's hard to stay objective covering this guy." In a retrospective of media coverage after the primary, The Politico determined that Williams may have been onto something: "Reporters are human, and some did seem swept up in the same emotions many voters experienced when they saw a black man win snow-white Iowa by preaching a gospel of change. Many are sympathetic to Obama’s argument that the culture of Washington politics is fundamentally broken." In a January 14 New York Times/CBS News poll, 12 percent of Democratic primary voters thought the media had been harder on Obama than on the other candidates, while 51 percent thought it had been harder on Clinton.

Obama's treatment of the traveling press corps was itself unusual. Not only did he keep an aloof posture, rarely talking to the national media, but his aides did not try to wine and dine or spin the press. Howard Kurtz observed, "In an age of all-out political warfare, the Obama campaign is a bit of an odd duck: It is not obsessed with winning each news cycle. The Illinois senator remains a remote figure to those covering him, and his team, while competent and professional, makes only spotty attempts to drive its preferred story lines in the press."

Measurements in late January by the University of Navarra indicated that Clinton and Obama were receiving roughly equal amounts of global media attention, once Obama won the Iowa caucuses.

Media coverage of Obama's religious background

A false allegation that Obama is a Muslim was made by perennial Republican Senate candidate and self-described "independent contrarian columnist" Andy Martin in a press release in 2004 and picked up by FirstRepublic. The document "raised all kinds of strange allegations about Obama but focused on him attempting to hide his Muslim past." In late 2006 chain emails repeating this and other false allegations about Obama appeared as the announcement of Obama's presidential candidacy approached. Neither garnered much media attention. However, on January 17, 2007, the day after Obama announced, the Internet magazine Insight published an article claiming that Clinton campaign staff thought that it was true that Obama had attended a Muslim seminary as a child in Indonesia and were planning to use that information against him during the upcoming primary election campaign. Insight's anonymously sourced allegations (described as an attack on both Clinton and Obama by the Clinton campaign, an allegation repeated by others) were brought to national attention when reported on by Fox News and elsewhere.

The Clinton and Obama campaigns quickly denounced the story. Investigations by CNN, ABC and others showed that Obama had not, as Insight had written, attended an Islamic seminary. Instead, from ages 6 to 10, Obama first attended Catholic School Fransiskus Assisis, then transferred to State Elementary School Menteng Besuki‎, an Indonesian public school for children of all faiths in the majority Muslim nation. A Chicago Tribune report found that he received two weekly hours of Islamic instruction during his attendance at that school. The article also noted he attended a Catholic school for three of his four years in Indonesia, and stated: "In fact, Obama's religious upbringing in Indonesia depended more on the conventions of the schools he attended than on any decision by him, his mother or his stepfather. When he was at a Catholic school for three years, he prayed as a Catholic. When he was at a public school for a year, he learned about Islam."

The false allegations have received wide media coverage. A few of the very many examples include CBS News,, the Washington Post, and the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Savage Nation. Bipartisan criticism has appeared criticizing the media's failures in propagating a false story, notably in the Columbia Journalism Review, and on ABC News' Nightline program, where Norman Ornstein of the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute was quoted:

"There's now almost a predictable process here. People have learned how to get things covered, even when they shouldn't be covered...You either start with a revelation in the Drudge Report or Insight magazine, then that gets picked up by the New York Post or The Wall Street Journal and Fox News and by the blogs, and before long there's enough noise out there and enough buzz that comes from it that everybody from The New York Times to The Washington Post to the network news broadcasts decide they have to cover it. And it doesn't matter if it's true or not."

Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey made some comments about Obama's childhood connections to Islam as he endorsed Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kerrey later wrote a letter of apology for his remarks to Obama, saying: "I answered a question about your qualifications to be president in a way that has been interpreted as a backhanded insult of you. I assure you I meant to do just the opposite." Obama has said that he accepted Kerrey's apology.

E-mails and flyers repeating false allegations about Obama and other candidates were distributed to voters in Iowa and South Carolina just before they went to vote for presidential candidates. In Iowa Obama told his supporters: “You have e-mails saying that I’m a Muslim plant that’s trying to take over America. If you get this e-mail from someone you know, set the record straight.” Sen. Clinton's campaign fired at least two campaign volunteers for forwarding related e-mails about Obama.

Obama's campaign organization has responded with a letter from Christian leaders vouching for his Christian faith, as well as with appeals to supporters to help correct any misunderstanding. From November 2007 to January 2008, as part of a drive to promote awareness of his Christian faith, Obama gave interviews to Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, to Christianity Today and to the religious website Beliefnet.com.

Another false accusation sometimes accompanying the religious ones is that Obama refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance. This is based on misrepresenting a TIME magazine picture of Obama listening to the U.S. National Anthem with his hands at his sides while the others on stage have their right hands over their hearts. He does, in fact, say the Pledge and sometimes leads the Senate in doing so.

Effect of the Internet

Campaign responses to Internet and radio criticisms

In early February 2008 a Cuban flag with a superimposed image of Che Guevera appeared in a local TV report showing the newly opened Obama campaign office in Houston. It belonged to María Isabel Norman, a Cuban-American, Captain 002 of Obama's Houston campaign and president of the Houston Obama Leadership Team, but an unpaid volunteer, who was among those who had been charged with opening the office in preparation for the arrival of paid staff to work on the March 4 primary. The image of the deceased Argentine revolutionary, responsible for the execution of hundreds, attracted the attention of numerous conservative blogs and became the main topic of discussion on Miami's Cuban radio stations. The Obama campaign responded: "We were disappointed to see this picture because it is both offensive to many Cuban Americans and Americans of all backgrounds, and because it does not reflect Senator Obama's views."

Also in February the Clinton camp distributed YouTube links they said documented Obama's plagiarism of oratory used by governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick, a confidant of the Obama campaign.

In sparring at the Austin CNN-Univision debate (Watch clip here.), Obama said, "Now, the notion that I had plagiarized from somebody who's one of my national co-chairs -- who gave me the line and suggested that I use it, I think is silly." And Clinton later responded, "Well, I think that if your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words. That's, I think, a very simple proposition. And you know -- you know, lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in; it's change you can Xerox."

On February 18, 2008, Michelle Obama said: "Let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but I think people are hungry for change", which conservative media roundly criticized.

Obama responded: "Statements like this are made and people try to take it out of context and make a great big deal out of it, and that isn't at all what she meant. What she meant was, this is the first time that she's been proud of the politics of America," he said. "Because she's pretty cynical about the political process, and with good reason, and she's not alone. But she has seen large numbers of people get involved in the process, and she's encouraged."

Political scientist and commentator Jonathan Martin argues that Obama must come to respond swiftly to the increasing barrage of "Swiftboating" attacks within non-mainstream media, as the campaign had failed to do at first in 2007 in response to right-wing talk radio and Internet chatter concerning Obama's Muslim childhood connections.

Social networking sites

Many commentators have noted Obama's strong support amongst social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.com.

Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder and co-ordinator of on-line organizing within the Barack Obama presidential campaign, called the on-line surge backing Obama "unprecedented". As of the beginning of February, the "American Politics" application on Facebook listed Obama as the 4-1 favorite over Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, the Obama campaign was a launch partner for Facebook's new F8 platform.

One group on Facebook, "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)", has 449,201 members as of February 7, 2008. On February 2 2007, Obama attended a rally at George Mason University organized by "Students for Barack Obama", a group that began on Facebook, with several thousand in attendance.. Other countries have also registered Facebook groups in support of Senator Obama including Canada and several European countries. .

Obama's official website itself incorporates networking elements which allows supporters to create their own profiles and blogs, as well as to chat and plan grassroots events. My.BarackObama.com (MyBO) is a social networking website created by the campaign. It was first launched on February 11, 2007, and was billed as "a MySpace for his supporters". It was built and designed by internet technology and political strategist firm Blue State Digital and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes.

The site now has over 70,000 registered users, and the Obama campaign credits the online social networking tool with increasing fundraising and event turnout. Other presidential candidates have since created their own social networking websites, such as Republican Sen. John McCain's "McCainSpace".

The bulk of MyBO's activity takes place in group and event organization, where members first create or join on-line "groups" which share common email listservs and blogs. These groups are then used to plan offline events, ranging from casual "meet ups" to large fundraising events, with those who RSVP for fundraising events via MyBO having the option of fulfilling their fundraising promise in advance through online payment. Of the $25 million the Obama campaign raised in the first quarter of 2007, over $6 million was raised through on-line channels.

Viral videos

Obama Girl

On June 13 2007 a video from Barely Political entitled "I Got a Crush... on Obama", starring Amber Lee Ettinger, otherwise known as "Obama Girl", received national media attention. It was followed by "Debate '08: Obama Girl vs. Giuliani Girl" and, most recently prior to Super Tuesday, "Super Obama Girl." These comedic videos were not produced by the Obama campaign.

Yes We Can Song

On February 2, 2008, Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am released "Yes We Can", a black-and-white internet music video directed by Jesse Dylan featuring numerous celebrities with lyrics based on quotations from Sen. Obama's concession speech at the New Hampshire primary. While it was neither produced by nor co-ordinated with the Obama campaign, it was promptly featured on the campaign's community blog upon its release. In the two weeks following its initial YouTube posting, the main video already had over four million views, and numerous exact copies had been posted by other users, a total approaching ten million views.

Political positions

Opinion polling

Following Obama's interview on Meet the Press, opinion polling organizations added his name to surveyed lists of Democratic candidates. The first such poll (November 2006) ranked Obama in second place with 17% support among Democrats after Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) who placed first with 28% of the responses. A Zogby Poll released on January 18, 2007, showed Obama leading the Democratic contenders in the first primary state of New Hampshire with 23% of New Hampshire Democrats supporting Obama. Senator Clinton and former Senator John Edwards were tied for second place with 19% each. A Washington Post/ABC News poll on February 26-27, 2007 placed Obama in second place with 24% among likely Democratic primary voters, with Hillary Clinton garnering 36% as the leader.

Opinion polls taken in April 2007 differ widely from each other: Obama was listed in third place nationwide, 24% behind Hillary Clinton and 2% behind John Edwards. In an April 30, 2007 Rasmussen Reports Poll, Barack Obama led the poll for the Democratic nomination for first time with 32% support. By June however, Clinton was winning all the major national polls by double digits except one that showed Obama with a one point lead, and by July, all major national polls showed Obama trailing Clinton by double digits.

Polling analysts are expected to take note of whether opinion polling statistics regarding Obama prove to be accurate, or are ultimately subject to the so-called "Bradley effect" observed in some previous American elections. The Bradley effect occurs when a smaller percentage of white voters, by a statistically significant margin, actually vote for an African American candidate than the percentage of those voters who said that they were likely to vote for that candidate during pre-election opinion polling.

Endorsements

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley endorsed Obama hours after his announcement, abandoning his tradition of staying neutral in Democratic primaries. A day later, Obama traveled to Ames, Iowa where he was endorsed by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald. Just days before the crucial New York Democratic Primary, Obama won the endorsement of the Young Democrats Club of Pelham, a key endorsement considering 16% of the club supported Hillary Clinton. Perhaps Obama's biggest celebrity endorsement is talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who has occasionally joined Obama on the campaign trail and hosted a fundraiser at her Santa Barbara, CA estate. Following his win in South Carolina Obama received the endorsement of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the former President, and Senator Ted Kennedy, John F. Kennedy's brother. For the first time in its history, MoveOn.org endorsed a Presidential candidate when Obama received 70% of an online ballot the organization held of its members. On February 3 2008, another member from the Kennedy family, First Lady of California Maria Shriver, announced her endorsement for Obama. Los Angeles based clothing manufacturer American Apparel also endorsed Obama on Super Tuesday.

Fundraising

Hyatt board member Penny Pritzker currently serves as the national finance chair of the campaign; Pritzker served on the finance committee for Obama's 2004 Senate run. Obama has said he will not accept donations from federal lobbyists or political action committees during the campaign. While he started to collect private donations for a general election account, Obama asked the Federal Election Commission if he could later return the money if he decided to take public funds. In response, the FEC allowed presidential candidates to take contributions for a general election campaign even if they later decided to accept public money.

Alan D. Solomont, who led a group that raised $35 million for John Kerry in 2004, has signed on with the campaign, saying Obama "is the sort of person America wants in the White House right now." Other fundraisers that have joined the campaign include David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Mark Gorenberg.

Obama's fundraising prowess has matched that of Hillary Clinton's and, financially speaking, is staying competitive with her. On April 4, 2007, Obama's campaign announced that they had raised $25 million in the first quarter of 2007, coming close to Hillary Clinton's $26 million in first quarter contributions. Over 100,000 people donated to the campaign and $6.9 million was raised through the Internet. $23.5 million of Obama's first quarter funds can be used in the primary, the highest of any candidate.

Obama's fundraising skills were affirmed again in the second quarter of 2007, when his campaign received $32.5 million in donations. This is $5.5 million more than his nearest rival, Hillary Clinton, whose campaign raised around $27 million. Obama's 258,000 individual donors revealed his wide grassroots appeal and success raising funds via the Internet. Altogether Obama's campaign raised US$58 million during the first half of 2007, topping all other candidates and exceeding previous records for the first six months of any year before an election year.

For the third quarter of 2007, which typically sees lower numbers than the rest of the year, Obama raised $20 million, still a large amount but bested by Clinton, who led all candidates with $27 million raised. Obama's campaign reported adding 108,000 new donors through in the quarter, for a total of 365,000 individual contributors in the first nine months.

In the fourth quarter of 2007, Obama raised $23.5 million, while Clinton raised $27.3 million.

As of January 2008, Obama had received over 800,000 donations from over 600,000 individual donors.

The Obama campaign raised $32 million in the month of January 2008 alone, from over 250,000 separate supporters. When it was disclosed that Hillary Clinton donated $5 million of her own money to her campaign, Obama's supporters donated over $6.5 million in less than 24 hours. So far in 2008, over 400,000 separate donors have contributed to the campaign. When the Clinton campaign reported that it had raised over $10 million in the five days after Super Tuesday, the Obama campaign reported raising "well more" than that.

Candidate financial disclosures released following the Wisconsin and Hawaii primaries raised Barack Obama's estimated January take to $37 million, about $17 million more than the second-placed candidate Hillary Clinton. Much of her fundraising was furthermore ineligible for primary-contest spending, and her campaign is projected to have ended the month in debt by over eight million dollars, one-quarter of that being unpaid fees to consultant Mark Penn. Also on Wednesday, the Obama campaign announced it was approaching one million individual donors in the campaign to date.

Notes

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144. "Mediaweek 'double splatter' article".
145. For responses to the Insight article, see: Kirkpatrick, David D (January 29 2007). "Feeding Frenzy for a Big Story, Even If It's False". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
146. "Obama, School Deny Radical Islam Claim" (video). Associated Press. WPVI-TV Philadelphia (ABC). January 25 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)"Mediaweek 'double splatter' article".
147. Tapper, Jake (January 25 2007). "Nothing Extreme About Indonesian School Attended by Obama". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-12-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
148. Sabarini, Prodita (January 31 2007). "Impish Obama couldn't sit still, says school pal + +". The Jakarta Post(reprinted by AsiaMedia). Retrieved 2008-02-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 51 (help)
149. "CNN debunks false report about Obama". CNN. 2007-01-23. Retrieved 2008-02-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
150. http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2823943
151. "Chicago Tribune: Madrassa myth debunked".
152. Evan Derkacz. Sinking Couric retreads Obama fraud. Alternet. Retrieved 2008-02-10. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
153. Foes Use Obama's Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him Washington Post 11-29-2007
154. McLeary, Paul (2007-01-29). "A lesson in how easy it is — even for publications with no history of credibility — to start a scandal". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
155. Jake, Jake (2007-01-25). "Huge Fuss Over Obama's 'Ordinary' Public School". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-02-16. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
156. Pickler, Nedra (2007-12-20). "Kerrey Apologizes to Obama Over Remark". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-01-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
157. Zeleny, Jeff (2007-11-10). "Obama Fights Foes, Seen or Otherwise". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
158. Reid, Tim (2007-11-23). "Palmetto Bugs: Slingers of Slime Step it up in SC". The New York Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
159. Bacon Jr., Perry (2007-12-05). "Clinton Campaign Volunteer Out Over False Obama Rumors". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-12-17. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
160. Zeleny, Jeff (2007-11-10). "Obama Fights Foes, Seen or Otherwise". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
161. "E-mail smear taxes Obama campaign".
162. Meet the Rock Star of U.S. Politics Christian Broadcasting Network November 11, 2007
163. Q and A: Barack Obama Christianity Today January 23, 2008
164. Barack Obama: Praying to Be 'An Instrument of God's Will' Beliefnet.com
165. Barack Obama: I'm no Muslim Times Online, 01-16-2008
166. Obama Recites Pledge of Allegiance before Senate on 2/1/07; Obama Recites Pledge of Allegiance before Senate on 6/21/07.
167. http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/421834.html
168. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080220/D8UTP1H80.html
169. http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0208/Obama_not_yet_wise_to_Freak_Show.html
170. Young Voters Find Voice on Facebook Washington Post, February 17, 2007.
171. Obama's Facebook The New York Sun, February 13, 2007
172. "newsbusters.org/node/13288".
173. Mobilized Online, Thousands Gather to Hear Obama Washington Post, February 3, 2007.
174. [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10137931875
175. [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5687588642
176. Ogg, Erica (February 9, 2007). "Barack Obama getting all Web 2.0 on us". CNetNews.com NewsBlog. CNet. Retrieved 2007-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
177. Stone, Brad (March 2, 2007). "Social Networking's Next Phase". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
178. ^ Schatz, Amy (May 26, 2007). "BO, U R So Gr8". WSJ.com NewsBlog. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
179. Beam, Christopher (June 22, 2007). "In Your Face: How Facebook could crush MySpace, Yahoo!, and Google". Slate.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
180. Sullivan, Andy (August 23, 2007). ""Friends" in high places". Reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 2007-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
181. Drobnyk, Josh (April 23, 2007). "Obama's groundswell: grass roots on the Web". BarackObama.com Newsroom. Obama for America, Barack Obama' presidential campaign. Retrieved 2007-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
182. "Obama raises $25 million, challenges Clinton's front-runner status". CNN. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
183. "Barely Political".
184. "2008: Obama Girl and More". The New York Times. June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
185. Joe Klein (2008-02-07). "Inspiration vs. Substance". Time. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
186. "New Celeb-Filled Music Video for Obama". ABC News. February 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
187. Obama for America (2008). The 'Yes We Can' Song. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
188. Muscatine Muscazine - Viral Video: Yes We Can
189. CNN. "Poll: Obama now trails only Clinton on '08 list," CNN Politics, November 2, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
190. International, Zogby (December 18, 2007). "Zogby New Hampshire: 3 Dems In Tight Race; McCain Leads Republican Field". Zogby International. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
191. "2008 Democratic Nomination". Washington Post. February 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
192. Angus-Reid Democrats 2008, angusreid, April 6, 2007. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
193. RasmussenReports 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, rassmussenreports.com, April 30, 2007. Retrieved on April 30, 2007.
194. White House 2008: Democratic Nomination pollingreport.com
195. Jonathan Alter, "Is America Ready?", Newsweek, December 25, 2006 - January 1, 2007. Retrieved on January 17, 2007.
196. Polman, Dick. "Barack Obama's race seems to be a second-tier issue", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21, 2007. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
197. Younge, Gary. "The power of hope", The Guardian, February 10, 2007. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
198. McCann, John. "Just point me to an honest candidate", The Herald-Sun, February 18, 2007. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
199. Daley Endorses Obama For President Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2007
200. "Candidate Obama packs ISU's Hilton Coliseum" The Des Moines Register, February 11 2007.
201. "www.suntimes.com/news/metro/472156,oprah071707.article".
202. Allen, Mike (2008-01-27). "Ted Kennedy embraces Obama". Politico. Retrieved 2008-01-27. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
203. Ari Mebler (2008-02-01). "MOVEON ENDORSES OBAMA..." The nation. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
204. "Breaking News: Maria Shriver endorses Barack Obama".
205. Legalize L.A.
206. "Gov. Blagojevich Releases Statement on Obama". NBC. February 10, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
207. "Culver endorses Obama". DesMoinesRegister.com. February 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
208. "Wisconsin governor endorses Obama for president". Chicago Sun-Times. 2008-01-05. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
209. "Gregoire endorses Obama for president". The Seattle Times. 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
210. Lewis, Bob (2007-02-17). "Obama Wins Virginia Governor's Support". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
211. Matthew Benson (2008-01-12). "Napolitano will endorse Obama". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
212. Foon Rhee (2007-10-17). "Patrick will endorse Obama, not Clinton". Retrieved 2008-02-17.
213. John Milburn (2008-01-29). "Obama Wins Backing of Kansas Governor". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
214. "Puerto Rico's governor backs Obama". CNN. 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
215. "Obama gets endorsement from Andrus in Democratic race". Associated Press. 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
216. Max Pizarro (2008-01-30). "Codey to endorse Obama". PolitickerNJ. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
217. "Ex-SC Gov. Hodges Endorses Obama". The Atlantic Monthly. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
218. John McCormick (2007-12-28). "Obama wins former Alaska governor's endorsement". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
219. "Dueling electability conference calls".
220. "Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail".
221. "U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad backs Obama".
222. "Durbin Taps Obama For President".
223. "Johnson backs Obama".
224. "Ted Kennedy to Endorse Obama".
225. "Sen. Edward Kennedy to endorse Obama, officials say".
226. "Kerry to endorse Obama".
227. "Leahy Endorses Obama, Likens Him To Bobby Kennedy".
228. "AP: Sen. McCaskill to endorse Obama".
229. "Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson Endorses Obama".
230. Ex-Senate Leader Daschle endorses Obama MSNBC.com, February 21, 2007
231. "Bill Bradley To Endorse Obama". Huffington Post. 2008-01-05. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
232. "Jean Carnahan endorses Obama".
233. Chafee for Obama
234. "Barack Obama has picked up the torch".
235. Crummy, Karen (2008-01-08). "Gary Hart endorses Obama". Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
236. "Jesse Jackson backs Obama for president".
237. "Jesse Jackson Endorses Barack Obama".
238. ^ "www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2916.html".
239. U.S. Rep. Brian Baird endorses Barack Obama
240. ^ "Endorsements '08".
241. "CONGRESSMAN XAVIER BECERRA ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA".
242. "Barack 2, Hillary 0; Bishop backs Obama".
243. ^ "Blumenauer endorses Obama".
244. "Boucher jumps into Obama's camp with endorsement".
245. "Butterfield now endorses Obama".
246. "Capuano endorses Obama for president".
247. Rep. Castor Says She'll Support Obama
248. ^ "Another Member of the CBC Pledges Support for the Obama Campaign".
249. "Why I'm Supporting Barack Obama (Rep. Danny Davis)".
250. "Delahunt says Obama will restore US image abroad".
251. "DeLauro To Endorse Obama On Saturday".
252. Doggett backs Obama
253. Release on Rep. Chet Edwards’ Obama Endorsement
254. Ellison Endorses Obama, lauds 'unifying spirit' Minneapolis Star Tribune, Feb. 20 2007.
255. "Anna Eshoo endorses Obama for president".
256. "U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah endorses Barack Obama for president".
257. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/stories/MYSA021108.gzzendrsobama.en.b082c6be.html Gonzalez endorses Obama
258. "Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva Endorses Barack".
259. "Hodes tells why he believes Obama can make a difference".
260. "Jesse Jackson Jr. backs Obama in ad".
261. U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen endorses Barack Obama for presidential nomination
262. "Patrick Kennedy to join father in endorsing Obama for president".
263. OBAMA'S SUPERDELEGATE GAINS
264. ^ "Congressmen Larson, Murphy to endorse Barack Obama".
265. Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama
266. "Congressman Dave Loebsack Endorses Obama".
267. "Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) endorses Barack Obama".
268. "Rep. Betty McCollum endorses Barack Obama".
269. "George Miller endorses Obama".
270. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/10/AR2008021001331_3.html?sid=ST2008021002838
271. Congressman Obey endorses Obama
272. "Perlmutter endorses Obama".
273. "Pomeroy endorses Obama".
274. "Obama in northern NV, as poll shows him behind".
275. "Ladies' Choice".
276. ^ "6 L.A. Leaders Decide To Back Barack".
277. "U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott endorses Obama for president".
278. http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1713596,00.html Black Lawmakers Rethink Clinton Support ]
279. "Shea-Porter endorses Obama as 'our future'".
280. "Obama lands a key backer in Adam Smith".
281. "Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) Endorses Obama".
282. Leahy, Welch endorse Barack Obama Vermont Public Radio. January 18, 2008
283. "Wynn endorses Obama".
284. Yarmuth to endorse Obama
285. Norton backs Obama, says super delegates shouldn't decide race
286. John B. Anderson endorses Obama Chicago Tribune, January 7, 2008
287. "Obama Picks Up More Endorsements".
288. ^ "Over 70 Foreign Policy Experts Announce Endorsement of Barack Obama for President".
289. "Obama's Major Endorsement".
290. "Fmr. U.S. Congressman and 9/11 Commissioner Tim Roemer endorses Obama".
291. "www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6456452".
292. "Shirley Franklin says she's '150%' for Barack Obama".
293. Austin mayor endorses Obama
294. "Dixon endorses Barack Obama".
295. "Boise Mayor Dave Bieter Endorsement..."
296. "Riley backs Obama; Lader goes for Clinton".
297. Daley Endorses Obama For President Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2007
298. "Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson Endorses Barack".
299. "DeStefano backs Obama, host canvass kickoff in New Haven tomorrow". 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
300. Obama Endorsed by Columbus Mayor AP, October 26, 2007
301. "That big Iowa endorsement..."
302. "AP Newsbreak: Durham mayor Bill Bell backs Obama for presidency".
303. ^ "Obama supporters rally in New Jersey".
304. "Wis. Obama Supporters Excited Over Win".
305. "McCollum Endorses Obama".
306. "DeStefano backs Obama, host canvass kickoff in New Haven tomorrow". 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
307. Beach, Randall (2008-01-20). "Supporters push Obama: Volunteers canvass city in advance of Feb. 5 primary". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
308. "Booker, Healy endorse Obama".
309. "Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey endorses Barack Obama for President".
310. "Seattle Mayor Nickels endorses Obama for president".
311. Nakamura, David (2008-07-18). "D.C. Mayor Endorses Obama's Campaign". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
312. "Former Clinton Official Backs Obama".
313. Kornblut, Anne. A Taste of Texas, and Memories of 1972, Washington Post, 2008-02-13
314. "Brzezinski Backs Obama".
315. "Paul Volcker, Former Fed Chairman, Endorses Obama".
316. John McCormick (2007-05-14). "Her money is on Obama. His? Clinton". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
317. Obama Begins Fundraising Drive Chicago Sun-Times, February 1, 2007
318. FEC Drafts New Campaign Finance Opinion Washington Post, February 22, 2007
319. With Kerry out, key aide shifts to Obama Boston Globe, January 26, 2007
320. Campaign 2008: Cranking Up The Money Machine BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007
321. Barack Obama First Quarter Fundraising Report BarackObama.com, April 4, 2007
322. Jeff Zeleny (2007-07-01). "Obama Raised $33 Million in Second Quarter". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
323. "Grim Old Pantry looks bare; meanwhile Obama fundraising soars". Canada National Post. 2007-07-06. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
324. Malone, Jim (July 2 2007). "Obama Fundraising Suggests Close Race for Party Nomination". Voice of America. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
325. Dan Morain (2007-10-02). "Clinton leads the field in campaign fundraising". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-10-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
326. Cooper, Michael (October 16 2007). "Democratic Candidates Keep Outraising Republicans". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
327. Emily Cadei (2008-01-03). "FEC 4th Quarter Report". FEC. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
328. "Obama Ads Feature Prominent Politicians".
329. "Obama raises $32 million in January".
330. "Obama raises $32 million in January".
331. Overby, Peter (February 6 2008). "Clinton Pumps Her Own Money into Campaign". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-02-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
332. "my.barackobama.com/page/contribute_c/sincefeb5_email/graphic".
333. "Contribution Matching".
334. Gavrilovic, Maria (2008-02-10). "Obama Confident About Upcoming Contests". CBS News. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
335. "January yields debt for HRC, cash for Obama". Politico.com. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
336. "Barack Obama campaign website". Barack Obama.com. Retrieved 2008-02-20.

External links

• Official Campaign Website
• Official Student Division on the Campaign Website
• Spartan Internet Political Performance Index ranking for Barack Obama by week
• New York Times Resource on Barack Obama
• Template:Dmoz
• Vote 2008: Barack Obama - Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
• Chicago Tribune's Barack Obama page
• Obama on the Issues

• Campaigns in the United States presidential election, 2008
• Democratic Party (United States) campaigns
• Barack Obama