Obama campaign hopes red states turn blue

WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is spending money in traditionally Republican U.S. states, which his advisers say could be competitive.

Obama, D-Ill., the presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate, has begun airing ads and opening offices in Virginia, North Dakota, Colorado and other states that voted Republican in recent elections, Politico reported Wednesday.

Even if he doesn't win in the red states, Obama will force his likely Republican Party challenger, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, to spend resources in normally GOP turf, the Washington publication said.

"They (Obama campaigners) are treating the money they spent in the primaries as organizational investments and relying on them to form the foundation for the general election," Anthony Corrado, a campaign finance expert, told Politico.

McCain's campaign dismisses Obama's efforts to turn red states blue, or at least purple.

"They have paid staff in Utah and other states that are solid McCain territory," said Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman. "They've clearly made a determination that staff on the ground means that a state is in play. That's their determination, not ours."

Nick Shapiro, an Obama spokesman, said a desire for change presents the Democrat's campaign an opportunity to reach voters in places U.S. President George Bush won.