Obama kicks off Virginia voter challenge

As a young political organizer in 1992, Barack Obama and his team registered more than 151,000 new voters in Illinois.

Now, as part of Obama’s presidential bid, his campaign is challenging his supporters to register even more new voters in Virginia before the Nov. 4 election.

“It’s time we had a president who is interested in progress, rather than politics,” said Mitch Stewart, the Obama campaign’s state director. “We need the help of all Virginians.”

Speaking from the steps of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, Stewart announced on Friday the campaign’s “Can You Best Barack?” voter registration challenge.

Five participants who register at least 100 new voters will be selected to meet with Obama.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign is preparing to open a local office on the Downtown Mall.

The GOP will also seek to register many new voters in Virginia, said Gail Gitcho, the region’s communications director for the campaign of Republican John McCain. The Republican National Committee, she said, is coordinating new voter outreach efforts.

The McCain campaign will be working hard in the Charlottesville region, Gitcho added.

“That part of the state is going to be important to us,” she said. “We’re going to be very active there.”

Virginia is expected to be one of a handful of battleground states in this year’s presidential race.