news-record.com

Update 2 p.m. - From Obama's campaign office: "Due to overwhelming response, no more tickets are available for Wednesday's event with Senator Obama. All of the tickets we had available have been distributed through our two public distribution centers."

Sen. Barack Obama picked up support from a couple of local heavy hitters today. Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson and Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small publicly declared their support for Obama at a press conference this morning.

Johnson also officially announced Obama will hold a town hall meeting at War Memorial Auditorium in the Greensboro Coliseum complex on Wednesday. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the program begins at 1 p.m.

(Read Johnson's statement here.)

Obama's opponent in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential candidate nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton, announced today she will campaign in the state on Thursday. Details were not immediately available.

Johnson pledged her support during the press conference held at the Guilford County Democratic Party headquarters. She read from a speech prepared for her by Obama's campaign but said she added some of her own thoughts. The speech highlighted Obama's pledges to improve education and health care, create jobs, reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil and end the war in Iraq.

After the speech, Johnson said she believes her endorsement will not alienate her constituents who do not support Obama.

"If the person had been Republican and resonated in my heart, I would have done the same thing," she said.

Obama has passion for uniting the country, something it needs now more than ever, Johnson said.

Councilwoman Bellamy-Small echoed the mayor's thoughts, saying Obama's appeal reaches beyond race and age. Something, she said, she has tried to do in her own political career.

Bellamy-Small also said she is excited about the opportunity to take part in a landmark race for the White House.

"I never thought there would be a strong, viable candidate for president that happens to be African American in my lifetime," she said.

Wednesday's town meeting is free to the public. Tickets are available today and tomorrow or until they run out. Campaign officials said they have about 2,000 tickets.

They were going quickly this morning as a steady flow of Obama supporters filled the tiny parking lot of the Democratic Party headquarters.

Queenasia Carr, a 17-year-old Eastern High School student, was among those supporters. Although too young to vote, Carr said she looks forward to hearing what Obama has to say.

"He's saying things nobody else is saying," she said.

Andrew Walcott also is excited about seeing Obama in Greensboro. He was impressed by Obama's speech last week addressing inflammatory statements made by the senator's pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

"I think he's illustrating how he'd handle controversial issues that might come up during his presidency," Walcott said.

Walcott said the excitement around the senator's campaign reminds him of John F. Kennedy's successful presidential run, the first presidential election Walcott voted in. The battle between Obama and Clinton for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination remains close late into the primary and caucuses season, making North Carolina's May 6 primary a coveted win for the first time in recent history.

Obama is leading in the race by a slim margin with 1,622 delegates to Clinton's 1,485. Either must claim at least 2,024 delegates to win the nomination.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com