Obama reintroducing himself to electorate

WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has begun his general election presidential bid by reintroducing himself to U.S. voters, his campaign media advisers say.

Despite the long primary campaign, voters in several areas of the United States really don't know the likely Democratic nominee, Jim Margolis, Obama's media adviser, told The Washington Post.

"They don't know the full story," Margolis said. "They don't have a complete sense of what motivates him, what are the biographical points of his life that have made him the person that he is today and what he wants to do as president."

Early on in the run-up to the November elections, Obama's campaign bought air time in 18 states and opted out accepting public funding for his challenge. His first television ad provides a biography for the voters, in part to counter misinformation spread about the candidate, Margolis and other said.

"You begin a new campaign with an introduction," said Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama's closest friends and confidants. "You can't presume that everybody was paying attention during the primary season. So let's start with basics. He describes his roots, his philosophy, his love of country. That's a really good start."