Despite Wright Flap, Obama's GOP Backers Sticking With Him -- for Now

Sen. Barack Obama attends a rally in North Carolina, where Republicans and independents are expected to play a key role in Tuesday's Democratic primary. (By Jae C. Hong -- Associated Press)

"The thing that is really bothering me now is how a decent and good person who is trying to do the right thing and could do so much for this country is getting mired in all of this stuff that isn't going to help anybody get a job."

DeBusk has defended her candidate at every turn, but she knows that the latest Wright controversy has made many of her Republican neighbors uncomfortable. "Race is such a dicey thing," she said. "People don't really talk about it."

She said she urgently wants to see the Democratic nomination battle end, and when Obama's campaign sends e-mails asking for more money to help him defeat Clinton, she gives another $25. If he is not the Democratic nominee, she said, she will vote for McCain.

As in Indiana, Republicans and independents will play a key role on Tuesday in North Carolina, where more than 30,000 voters have changed their registration to Democrat or independent since January, the State Board of Elections reports.

"To the extent that Republicans" change their registration "and more independents are drawn into this primary, it probably will benefit Obama," said Andrew Taylor, a political science professor at North Carolina State University.

One of those Republicans is David Grace, a former Marine who celebrated the "Republican revolution" in Congress in the 1990s. Now he says he's an "Obamican," as the senator's campaign refers to its GOP backers, because he opposes the war in Iraq and says the Bush administration has been fiscally irresponsible.

Grace, 34, changed his registration and became a vigorous campaign volunteer, registering students at a community college every afternoon before going to work at a manufacturing plant near his home in Wilmington. Wright's comments bothered him, but not enough to keep him from supporting Obama.

"There are so many issues that I care about that I can't let one thing that bothers me take me away from the one guy who can take care of a lot of other things," Grace said. "It's ugly, but it's not going to take me away. . . . Everybody's run off the mouth a few times, and I've even done it myself, speaking against the country."

Geoffrey W. Barrick, 41, of Marengo, Iowa, prides himself on being a political independent, but he liked Obama enough to caucus for him this year. Barrick, who describes himself as liberal on race and gender issues, an evangelical and a member of the National Rifle Association, watched for flaws that might cause him to change his mind about Obama as he dealt with Wright.

"He didn't overreact. He didn't go off the deep end," Barrick said. "I don't know if America is going to be smart this time or if America is going to follow the sound bite. I know what I'm going to do. I can back that guy all day long. He's a thinking man, and he's responded to pressure with grace and dignity and candor."

For his part, Szczesny is confident that the Wright issue will reemerge if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, and he'll withhold judgment until then.

Obama "looked like a puppy who got his rear end slapped," Szczesny said. "He'll bounce back. He's got until November."

Research editor Alice Crites and polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.