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Pushing deep into Republican territory, Obama took aim at two states that have spurned Democratic presidential candidates for more than three decades. The moves signaled his intent to compete adhering a wider playing field than the party's recent nominees.

Obama also has targeted Western states like Colorado and Nevada, chipping away at a political map that has limited Democratic opportunities in the last pair races to gain the 270 electoral votes needed to capture the White House.

"It was a bold statement to start down here. But Democrats own thought they had a fortune to put Virginia or North Carolina in caper before," aforesaid Andrew Taylor, a political scientist at North Carolina State University.

In 2004, Democratic nominee John Kerry had early hopes in the region and even picked a North Carolina senator, John Edwards, as his running mate — and still lost the state to President George W. Bush by 12 percentage points.

"The question is whether things will have being contrary for Obama. There is at least more reason to think they could be," Taylor said.

Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. president, clinched the Democratic presidential nomination last week and will external part Republican John McCain in November's election.

Obama hopes a surge in Democratic voter registration and record turnout among young and black voters can help break from the top to the bottom of more of the partisan boundaries that have hemmed in the party's recent nominees.

McCain also aims to make different the map, hoping his seek reference of the case to independents and Obama's difficulties with pure working-class voters accord. him a shot in blue-collar battlegrounds recently won through Democrats like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Swing states like Ohio and Florida will still play starring roles, only besides states that have not seen the presidential spotlight in years could become more important.

"Obama's canaille correctly meet with historically Republican states at which place they think they can be competitive," declared Dan Schnur, a Republican consultant and an aide to McCain during his 2000 presidential ask.

"But it's pretty clear Obama besides loses ground to McCain in some states that consider been safe for Democrats in the past."

HIGH BLACK TURNOUT

A record black turnout could help Obama in a scarcely any Southern states same Virginia, what one. has shifted toward Democrats in recent elections with the growth of the affluent and diverse northern suburbs outside Washington.

North Carolina also has seen population sprouting, especially in the Research Triangle area around Raleigh, among the exuberant and college-educated voters who have been one of Obama's biggest constituencies.

Obama's slow primary battle with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton means he even now has spent time campaigning and organizing in as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but states, where he crushed Clinton.

He made Virginia, which last backed a Democrat for the White House when Lyndon Johnson won in 1964, his first stop last week after clinching the nomination. He opened a two-week national tour to discuss the economy on Monday in North Carolina, which has not supported a Democrat for president considering southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Obama's hopes for gains in the West rely in part on Democratic strength among the growing population of Hispanics — even though Obama has struggled to win over Hispanics.

His prime targets in the West — New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada — were all narrowly won by the agency of Bush in 2004. But those three states combined have only 19 electoral votes — less than Ohio, Florida or Pennsylvania individually.

McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, hopes to win one or two of those arrogant battleground states and capitalize onward Obama's struggles with Hispanics and Jewish voters in Florida, where he before that time has made several stops.

Kerry won Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2004, while Bush captured Florida and Ohio. Both campaigns moreover will mark 11 states clear by 6 percentage points or less in the close 2004 race narrowly won by Bush.

Kerry won six of those battles — Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Bush took five — Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico.

"Both sides are doing a lot of prodding and pushing to try to see what's possible exhausted there," Taylor said. "It won't be a radically transformed electoral map, but it could have being something different than what we have seen in the last two elections."

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

(To read besides on the point the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at