Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign announced Thursday that it is opening a Kalispell field office and his state spokesman said the Illinois senator can appeal to traditionally red northwest Montana.
“Sen. Obama has something a lot of candidates don’t,” Matt Chandler said. “He appeals to independents and conservatives. That’s why we’ve been able to win in all corners of the country.”
The Kalispell headquarters, located at 20 Four Mile Dr., Suite 1, brings the total number of offices for the Illinois senator across the state to seven. The grand opening is Saturday.
“We are making a commitment to listen to all Montana voters and believe strongly that the best way to do this is to open offices in as many communities as possible,” Obama’s state director Gabe Cohen said in a prepared statement.
Both Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton have ramped up their respective campaigns across the state as it appears more likely that the contest will last through June 3, when Montana and South Dakota voters cast the final votes.
Former Pres. Bill Clinton confirmed this week that he is returning to Montana to campaign on behalf of his wife. He will speak in Billings on May 10. Neither campaign, however, has confirmed whether the candidates, who both visited Missoula and Butte last month, will return to the Big Sky state.
“Nothing is on the schedule yet,” Chandler said of Obama. “But we’re working on getting him back to Montana”