By Bob Gibson
Daily Progress political blogger
Barack Obama has become the first presidential candidate to air ads this primary season in the Charlottesville market.
One of the ads has him talking about health care and other issues at a campaign rally. More Democrats appear to be on board with Obama here than with Hillary Clinton, his only opponent in the race among six names on the ballot in Virginia Feb. 12.
Larry Sabato, head of UVa’s Center for Politics, said up to about 85 percent of his students now favor Obama.
The Obama campaign picked up four former John Edwards backers in the House of Delegates on Thursday: House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong of Martinsville, Vivian Watts of Annandale, Bob Hull of Falls Church and Paul Nichols of Woodbridge.
They join more than a dozen other delegates in the Obama camp. Seventeen delegates for Obama also include Kris Amundson of Mount Vernon, Kenny Alexander of Norfolk, Bob Brink of Arlington, David Englin of Alexandria, Dwight Jones of Richmond, David Marsden of Burke, Ken Melvin of Portsmouth, Joe Morrisey of Henrico County, Ken Plum of Reston, Jim Scott of Merrifield, Mark Sickles of Franconia, Shannon Valentine of Lynchburg and Onzlee Ware of Roanoke.
Brink said that Obama “can move us beyond the toxic tear-down politics of the past two decades, where the goal isn’t to advance your ideas but to destroy your opponent.“
