Obama's Rural Pennsylvania Strategy

Sen. Obama is starting a special outreach to rural Pennsylvania voters. There is a page on his presidential campaign site specifically for that constituency with links to relevant resources, including a one page handout on his policies for that region.

There was a conference call today with State Rep. Dan Surra, an early supporter of Obama's and Obama for America Rural Vote Deputy Director David Lazarus. Surra, who represents the 75th district in rural Elk and Clearfield Counties, is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and a member of the Game and Fisheries Committee.


Two points from the press release after the call:

The Obama Campaign is going to compete very aggressively for rural voters who have been ignored by the Bush administration. The campaign has opened several rural offices already in places like Lewistown, Lancaster, Beaver and Uniontown, with more on the way as the campaign continues. The campaign has a strong base in rural Pennsylvania of over 4,300 volunteers and 5,300 donors.

and

Democratic registration in rural areas of Pennsylvania is up nearly
28,000 this year, while Republican registration has declined by more than 5,700.

Some of the topics discussed on the call (and outlined on the rural policies page linked above) include the impact of high gasoline costs on rural areas where people have long commutes and little or no access to public transportation, the importance of investing in rural infrastructure, and combating the manufacture and use of methamphetamines. There are more. You should read for yourself. More details on policies and planned events will be released later.