USA: After announcing his official candidacy to the presidency, Democratic Senator Barack Obama heads to Iowa

Senator Barack Obama is not wasting any time hitting the campaign trail. After formally announcing his run for the presidency in Illinois, Obama headed to Iowa, the state where democrats will hold their first presidential test in the nation in January 2008. Barack Obama started his presidential campaign on Saturday (February 11), in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the road ahead for the only black U.S. senator will be very competitive as the field is already loaded with nominees very early on in the primary season, most notably New York Sen Hillary Clinton. Winning the Iowa caucus is considered especially important for presidential hopefuls, since candidates must make a majority of the almost 2,000 caucuses, instead of a statewide primary. In 2004 voters saw just how critical Iowa was when Howard Dean, who was widely thought of as a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, lost after screeching and ultimately lost his spot to John Kerry. Recent polls show Clinton receiving more favorable ratings for her experience while Obama has been considered more "likeable" than Clinton. Terry MCauliffe, former head of the Democratic National Committee and member of Clinton' staff believes that candidates for Democratic nomination will have to raise at least 35 million dollars by year's end to remain contenders. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who declared his candidacy last month has already been campaigning in the state. Furthermore, in addition to several other candidates who plan to hit the state, Iowa's governor Tom Vilsack is also in the race for the party nomination. While Obama, the son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya has quickly become a leading contender, he is facing questions about his relative lack of experience, as well as his background and race. The biggest challenge however, lies simply in voters not knowing who he is. At Virgil and Janice's barbershop in the centre of town, a patron who preferred to remain unidentified, said he does not know anything about the Senator - besides his race, which the media has harped on. "You want to know what I think about Obama? He's black. That's all I know about him," a Cedar Rapids, Iowa resident said. Janice, who owns the shop with her husband, says she plans to watch the Senator's appearances in Iowa on television, but is not supportive of his candidacy because she too is unfamiliar with Obama. During his first appearance at a high school, the 45-year-old former law professor who has two-best selling books acknowledges that he will have to work hard to win over Iowa's voters. "That's why we have campaigns. That's why we are here today. So the people get a chance to get to know me," Obama said. Like Janice and her customer at the barber shop, Helen Brammer, a Cedar Rapids resident who is sitting at a local donut shop, also says she is not familiar with Obama. She says he is attractive, and a good speaker but she just does not know enough about what he has to offer. "I don't know. I haven't really decided. He seems like a nice guy but I haven't quite decided," Brammer said. At the next table over, a patron named Gary says he will surely go to hear Obama speak while he is in Iowa. He says he wants a Democrat to win the next election and that it is important to know where the candidates stand on the issues. "A younger person not really out of the D.C. crowd maybe that would help him to make some good decisions," Gary from Cedar Rapids, Iowa said. Obama's first public appearance in the key state, was in the form of a question-answer session. Iowans did not shy away from tough questions - and were most interested in the Senator's proposed policies for withdrawal from Iraq, a war that Obama strongly opposed. After laying out his plans for legislation to pull out troops - Obama was hit with a question about North Korea. The Senator, who in his announcement said it is "time to turn the page in politics," did not shy away -- saying he would change U.S. policy about negotiations with North Korea. After campaigning in Iowa, the Senator will return to Illinois, and then its on to New Hampshire, where the first Democratic primary will be held

ITN Source | February 11, 2007

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