Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will stop at a rally in Madison Thursday with less than two weeks until Election Day, his campaign announced Friday.
The event will be held at 11 a.m. at the Capitol Square where Main Street intersects Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Phil Walzak, communications director for Obama's campaign in Wisconsin, said Obama is visiting because the race in Wisconsin is still competitive.
Wisconsin remains a very important swing state, it's a very close election with so much at stake,"" Walzak said.
According to Walzak, Obama's visit will focus on the contrast between his economic plan and that of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
""I think it's interesting that he's coming to Madison considering it's already so liberal; it doesn't really seem like a big battleground area to visit,"" said UW-Madison senior Katie Nix, state chair of Students for McCain.
According to Pollster.com, a website that follows polling trends, Wisconsin polls over the past month collectively show Obama leading by an average of about 11 points.
Nix said although the presidential race in Wisconsin is not very close in the polls, it has always been close historically and Obama is likely trying to secure his base by visiting Thursday.
Claire Rydell, chair of UW-Madison College Democrats, said the event will provide an ""extra boost of energy"" for Obama's campaign going into the final election days.
This will be Obama's first Madison visit since he spoke on campus in February, an event that filled the Kohl Center beyond capacity.
""I hope that this will be the final push that students need to get excited and mobilize for Election Day,"" said Ami ElShareif, chair of UW-Madison Students for Obama.
