Obama’s office locations reveal focus on southern NM

The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will formally open two offices in Doña Ana County this weekend and plans a third later in the campaign.

The offices reveal a widespread effort by the Obama campaign to reach voters in southern New Mexico and throughout the state. The campaign will open offices in Las Cruces and Anthony this weekend, according to a news release. It already has offices open in Silver City and Alamogordo. Later in the campaign it plans to open offices in Deming, Ruidoso and on the New Mexico State University campus in Las Cruces, the news release states.

The Anthony, Las Cruces, Silver City and Alamogordo offices are among 16 around New Mexico that will hold grand-opening ceremonies this weekend, according to Obama’s Web site. Six of the offices will be located in the 2nd Congressional District in southern New Mexico. As of this weekend, the campaign will have 17 offices in New Mexico.

The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain couldn’t immediately be reached for information about McCain’s New Mexico offices. McCain’s Web site lists only an office in Albuquerque.

The invitation for the opening of Obama’s Las Cruces office states that such field offices “are run by volunteers and are dependent on the grassroots community to help loan anything they may have to help run our office until election day.”

The grand opening of the Las Cruces office will be held Saturday at 6 p.m. It’s located at 255 East Lohman Ave. For more information, call 575-312-6056 or e-mail hshedrick@nmforchange.com.

The grand opening of the Anthony office will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. It’s located at 880 Anthony Drive. For more information, call 575-680-6088 or e-mail lavila@nmforchange.com.

Update, 5:10 p.m.

Bill Riggs, regional press secretary for the Republican National Committee, said McCain has one office in New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, and the RNC’s Victory 2008 campaign — which exists primarily to elect McCain — has five offices around New Mexico.

This posting originally stated that Obama would open 12 offices around New Mexico, including seven in the 2nd District, this weekend. After this article was published, the Obama campaign changed the numbers.