On State's Election Map, Some Areas Are Purple Question Marks

· Russell County: Russell, in coal country in southwestern Virginia, has traditionally been Democratic, supporting Bill Clinton during his presidential campaigns in the 1990s. Since then, Russell and the rest of the region have been trending Republican. Gore won the county with 50 percent of the vote in 2000, but Bush won it easily in 2004. Kilgore, who lived in the region, carried Russell in the 2005 governor's race, but Webb won it by 171 votes the next year.

Given the region's strong ties to the Democratic Party and organized labor, Russell could be an indicator of Obama's appeal to working-class voters in the area. In the Feb. 12 primary, he won just 14 percent of the vote in Russell, where whites are 98 percent of the population.

· Suffolk City: About 80,000 people live in Suffolk, which is in southeastern Virginia on the North Carolina border. The city, which covers 430 square miles, is home to the state's peanut industry, but it is also experiencing rapid suburban growth as people move in from nearby Virginia Beach and Norfolk. African Americans, who traditionally vote Democratic, are 41 percent of the population. Gore carried it narrowly in 2000, but Bush won it with 52 percent of the vote in 2004. The next year, Kaine won it by 10 percentage points; in 2006, Webb won it by 171 votes.

· Virginia Beach: With its conservative reputation, Virginia Beach would not have been, in the minds of Democrats, up for grabs in a presidential election, at least not a few years ago. Home to the ministries of religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and large numbers of military voters, Virginia Beach went solidly for Bush in 2000 and 2004. But Kaine narrowly won it in 2005, and Democrats picked up two House of Delegates seats there last year.

Democrats say they think Obama has a shot at making his race competitive in Virginia Beach. But he'll need to do well among active and retired military personnel and their families and drive up turnout among blacks, who are 20 percent of the population.