Why Is Jacksonville Obama's Final Campaign Stop?

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- On the eve of the presidential election, Senator Barack Obama will hold his final rally in the River City, campaign officials say, for two reasons.

Barack Obama will make his final campaign stop in Jacksonville Monday night, and wake up here on election day morning.

Why Jacksonville?

"We like what we're seeing in Florida, but it's going to be close so we're going to fight until the end," said Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe.

In an interview with First Coast News, Plouffe provided some insight into why Senator Obama deemed Northeast Florida residents the target of his closing arguments.

Plouffe says it comes down to two reasons: convince the undecided voters and reassure the supporters of who to vote for on election day.

"It's a place where we think we could drive high turnout, so every piece of the state fits together like a puzzle. You need to do well in all areas," Plouffe said.

While Northeast Florida typically goes "red" during elections, the whole state is considered a toss-up right now.

To add pressure to the campaigns, some nine percent of registered voters remain undecided.

Dr. Paul Harwood, who directs the Public Opinion Research Lab at UNF, says Obama's decision to finish his presidential campaign in Jacksonville makes sense.

65-percent of registered voters are left to cast their ballots in the next four days, and Duval County is the most populated area in this part of the state.

""All he can win is that all-important center. So I think it's a sensible decision to come to North Florida," Harwood said.

Details about Barack Obama's rally next week remain limited.

Officials have only said that it will be open to the public and free to attend, but they will not confirm the time and location of the event.

On the other side, the McCain campaign has no plans as of now for the senator to make an appearance on the First Coast Monday.

However, the campaign will be busy, with a Straight Talk Express rally planned for Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Prime Osborn Convention Center.

The GOP has also planned to make thousands of personal phone calls to voters the day before the election.

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