Dems to open Obama HQ Friday

LIMA - A few short months ago, Gov. Ted Strickland crisscrossed the state in support of Hillary Clinton and gave her a presidential primary election win in Ohio.

The governor appears ready to do the work again for the man who bested Clinton for the nomination.

Strickland will speak at 1 p.m. today at the opening of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign headquarters at 43 Town Square.

Obama is in Europe for the last leg of a foreign trip that saw him earlier in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Strickland's visit is meaningful for the region, Allen County Democratic Party Rick Siferd said.

"He places a high value on supporting and electing Barack Obama," Siferd said. "He's giving up most of his day and coming to a Republican stronghold."

While campaigning for Clinton, Strickland labeled Obama as without the necessary experience to be president and his rhetoric as "fluff." However, in June Strickland threw his support behind Obama and the two have already campaigned together in Ohio.

Obama's campaign generated enthusiasm in the primary and staffers opened a campaign office for a short time before the March election, a rare move for a primary in Lima. Four years ago, it wasn't until the end of August that a John Kerry office opened in Lima and it was the first time local Democrats organized such a visible presence.

Ohio expects to again be a campaign swing-state target; Obama and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain have already made several stops in Ohio, including a McCain visit Thursday to Columbus.

The Obama campaign has money to spend and plans to use it; the latest reporting shows more than $71 million on hand.