Obama Mines Small, Traditionally Red States

In the Democratic nomination fight, more states are being courted and coveted than most strategists imagined a few months ago. Obama and Clinton each won two of the year's first four contests and come equipped with campaign coffers that match their national ambitions. Money and staff that might have seemed wasted on Kansas, North Dakota or Idaho in years past could prove important if the race remains close.

A high point of Obama's efforts here came Jan. 17, when 13 Kansas legislators gathered in the statehouse rotunda to endorse him. Two things about the event stood out: the legislators' description of how hard Obama's team worked for their support and the fact that this happened in Kansas.

"People are generally very surprised to hear from us," Obama volunteer Cori Allen said as she made calls in Lawrence that night. "When you call back in Kansas, people will say literally, 'You want to talk to me?' Even the Republicans stay on the line longer."

Kansas, with its record of Democrats winning office by drawing support among moderate Republicans, is one of a half-dozen Feb. 5 caucus states where ground organization is considered crucial. Obama, who likes to say he got his name from Kenya and his accent from Kansas, enjoys the added benefit of Kansas kin. He will hold a rally Tuesday in his grandparents' town of El Dorado.

Obama staffers, arriving when their candidate was stuck far back in the polls, began last fall to pull people together in whatever constellations they could muster. On the day before Thanksgiving, they started to see progress when 36 people from the state's conservative western reaches came to a meeting in Wichita.

One tack was to reach out to Democratic state legislators. The idea was to enlist surrogates who could help introduce the freshman senator. In one twist borrowed from the community organizing playbook, they called some legislators only after mustering activists. By saying voters in their districts were supporting Obama, the staffers persuaded the politicians to take a closer look.

"It's a response to voters who are telling us whom we should support," said state Sen. Anthony Hensley (D), the Senate minority leader, who endorsed Obama. He was one of a few legislators who heard from the campaigns of all three major Democratic candidates. Only one among the dozen who stood with him had heard from another campaign.

"I was repeatedly contacted and offered ways to get involved," Sen. Marci Francisco said of the Obama campaign. Sen. David Haley said the Obama campaign is as well organized in his Kansas City district as any local campaign he has seen in 20 years. "They had the foresight to prepare," he said.

Obama's pitch in Kansas echoes the approach that helped make Sebelius a popular two-term governor. Sebelius has built a working coalition with the help of moderate Republicans who cannot abide the state's fiery social conservatives. In fact, her lieutenant governor, Mark Parkinson, is a former chairman of the state Republican Party.

"Kansas Democrats can't win on their own. They have to reach out to independents and Republicans," said Dan Watkins, former executive director of the state Democratic Party and an Obama supporter. "This is Obama country."

Kansas has proven reliability Republican in presidential contests, but significant numbers of independents and moderate Republicans have voted Democratic in congressional and statewide races.

Rep. L. Candy Ruff, a conservative Democrat, endorsed Obama. She thinks Obama would be a bigger asset than Clinton if he appeared at the top of the ticket. She has no illusions that Kansas will swing the race, but she likes being in the mix.

"If the big states split their vote, it's down to the little states, the crumbs on the bottom," Ruff said. "That's where we could be in play."