Supporters of presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., announced Monday the campaign will open a Madison office close to campus.

The office at 437 W. Gilman St. will occupy part of the Laundry 101 laundromat building and will likely open within a week, according to building owner and Madison Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7.

Brandon said he looks forward to giving students the opportunity to work very closely with the campaign.

“We’re excited to be able to have that kind of proximity to the students,” he said. “It’s important that the students be given access to the candidates.”

Students for Barack Obama Vice-Chair Maggie Raiken said she hoped the office opening so close would attract more students to the campaign.

“We are all thrilled,” Raiken said. “There’s nothing like getting a campaign office up and running within walking distance from campus.”

The Madison office will be the second Obama campaign office opened in Wisconsin following the opening of a Milwaukee office earlier this month.

“Many other campaigns are just going to opening Milwaukee offices,” Brandon said. “I think it undermines and doesn’t give proper credit to the value that the student voice has had in this entire election.”

Raiken said she expects students to work closely with city residents and campaign staff in the weeks leading up to the Wisconsin primary on Feb. 19.

Brandon said the Gilman Street building has a rich political history, housing campaign offices for presidential hopeful John Edwards four years ago as well as U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in previous election years.