Today on the presidential campaign trail

[October 28, 2008]  (AP)  IN THE HEADLINES -- Obama envisions no 'red' or 'blue' America, but getting elected is different ... McCain takes running mate Palin on swing through conservative, rural areas of Pennsylvania ... Michelle Obama says she wears J. Crew, expresses empathy over Palin's $150,000 wardrobe

Obama targets Va., Pa. in homestretch

ST. DAVID'S, Pa. (AP) -- Gunning for the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the White House, Democrat Barack Obama is almost exclusively targeting tossup red states, the label for ones that trend Republican. Any one of them might tip him to victory. Combined, they could give him a dominant win.

Meanwhile, ahead in the polls, Obama spends little time at all defending Democratic blue states except for one -- Pennsylvania -- where Republican John McCain is pushing hard.

The political math explains Obama's plans on Tuesday, just one week shy of the election.

Obama was to begin with a rally in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester. The event amounts to a bookend to his cross-state appearance on Monday in Pittsburgh, when he pledged to cut taxes for the middle class and help the factory worker as much as the company owner.

Obama then heads again to Virginia, where he is vying to become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state in 44 years

McCain targets rural Pennsylvania

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) -- John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin were reuniting Tuesday to rally the faithful in largely conservative areas of this swing state he hopes to win in next week's presidential election.

Though he trails Barack Obama in the polls nationally and in Pennsylvania -- or maybe because of that -- McCain was sounding increasingly scrappy and referring to his rival as "the most liberal candidate to ever seek the presidency."

McCain, who also campaigned in Pennsylvania on Monday, and Palin, were holding rallies Tuesday in Hershey and Quakertown before going their separate ways -- McCain to North Carolina, another contested state, while Palin stays in Pennsylvania.

"If I'm elected, I'll fight to shake up Washington," McCain told a noisy rally in Pottsville, Pa., on Monday night, previewing the closing argument he'll make to voters as the long march to the Nov. 4 election draws to a close. "I'm not afraid of the fight, you're not afraid of the fight and we're ready for the fight."

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Michelle Obama shops at J. Crew, buys online

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) -- No $150,000 wardrobe malfunctions for Michelle Obama.

"Actually, this is a J. Crew ensemble," the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told comedian Jay Leno on Monday on his talk show. She wore a yellow sweater, skirt and blouse ensemble.

"You can get some good stuff online," she added.

Questioned by Leno, the potential first lady declined to criticize GOP vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin about revelations that the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 at Neiman Marcus and other high-end retailers on clothes and accessories for Palin and her family.

Obama said she and her husband have a policy of spending their own money on their clothes. But she said she wanted to be "empathetic."

"A VP pick, it's like being shot out of a cannon. All of a sudden you're at the center of attention, and you want to look good," said Obama.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama attends a rally in Chester, Pa., before heading to the Virginia towns of Harrisonburg and Norfolk.

Joe Biden campaigns in the Florida towns of Ocala and Melbourne.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain and Sarah Palin hold rallies together in the Pennsylvania towns of Hershey and Quakertown. McCain then holds an event in Fayetteville, N.C.

Palin also talks to voters in the Pennsylvania towns of Shippensburg and State College.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"The defenders of the status quo have always tried to tear down those who would change our nation for the better." -- Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden.

STAT OF THE DAY:

According to the Census Bureau, 24 percent of voters in 2004 said they registered to vote at a county or government registration office -- the most common method of registering.

[Associated Press]

Compiled by Ann Sanner.

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