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WINSTON-SALEM — As Sen. Barack Obama tried to convince voters that plans for suspending the federal tax on gasoline would not help them, he was once again forced to address remarks made by his controversial former minister.

Is Rev. Wright an albatross on the Obama campaign? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton picked up Gov. Mike Easley's endorsement only weeks after he said he wanted to stay out of the presidential primary.

Both contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination are scheduled to campaign today and Thursday in Indiana, which like North Carolina has a May 6 primary. Neither has announced plans to campaign again here before both attend the state Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner Friday night in Raleigh.

"The Washington candidates in this race...they have proposed a gas tax holiday. (Presumptive Republican nominee) John McCain started it. He made the proposal, then Hillary Clinton said, 'Me, too,'" Obama told the crowd at the Joel Coliseum Annex, getting appreciative laughs and applause.

He told the roughly 2,000 supporters there that a three-month gas tax holiday would only save the average driver enough to buy half of a tank, while diverting money from road-building projects and possibly driving up the price of gasoline in the long run.

Clinton unveiled her support for a gas tax holiday in Graham on Monday. A recent poll showed that the rapid rise in gas prices topped American's concerns on the economy. Those who watch politics professionally say dangling the gas tax proposal is savvy politics and Obama will need to clearly explain his opposition to cash-strapped voters.

"This isn't an idea to get you through the summer. It's an idea to get them through an election," Obama said, accusing his opponents of political pandering.

But in a news conference after his appearance, Obama did not get to talk about economic policy. Instead, he was forced to spend 28 minutes talking with national and local reporters about another topic entirely: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Wright is the controversial Chicago preacher who used to be the pastor of Obama's church. Earlier this year, portions of sermons by Wright where he appeared to condemn the United States became fodder for bloggers and cable talkshows.

That first storm prompted Obama to give a speech in Philadelphia on March 18, where he addressed Wright's comments as well as broader issues of race relations.

Since then, Wright has been in the background of the campaign. Recently, the N.C. Republican Party began running an ad that nominally targets two Democratic candidates for governor but prominently features footage of Wright.

The preacher came to the forefront again with several high-profile appearances, most recently at the National Press Club in Washington where he slammed Obama. Wright also claimed the United States government invented the HIV virus that causes AIDS and refused to apologize for his more inflammatory sermons.

"But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions...then there are no excuses. They offend me, they rightly offend all Americans, and they should be denounced," Obama said.

Throughout the day Tuesday, the Wright story was the top campaign news for several major media Web sites, including CNN and the Washington Post. It also has gained new traction on cable television and talk radio.

"I think Barack Obama addressed some things today that helped us," said Brent Woodcox, a spokesman for the N.C. Republican Party. The party came under fire from a wide array of sources, including McCain and other national Republican leaders, for airing the ad with Wright.

But the latest round of news surrounding the pastor and Obama's remarks Tuesday vindicates the party's decision to air the ad, Woodcox said, pointing out that Obama himself conceded that Wright presented a legitimate campaign issue.

Political scientists watching the campaign said the renewed Wright controversy comes at an inopportune time, as Obama is preparing to leave the state for a few days. It could, they say, help Clinton make up ground against Obama, who has held double-digit leads in polls.

"The word albatross comes to mind," said Elon University political science professor Chalmers Brumbaugh. He said that the Wright controversy could drag on Obama's campaign through the end of the primary season.

"This issue he (Obama) has is what political scientists call a 'feeding frenzy,'" said David Holian, a UNCG political scientist. "They have to be ridden out. You can't escape those questions."

Holian said the renewed Wright controversy could be particularly problematic for Obama among voters who were on the fence between the two Democratic candidates or those just tuning into the campaign.

Both Brumbaugh and Holian said this latest ruckus will also reinforce Clinton's standing among voters already inclined to vote for her. Very generally, the professors said, those include white voters with lower incomes and older women.

Clinton, meanwhile, got to ride a wave of positive publicity out of the state, leaving with the sitting governor's endorsement.

"Her economics and education policies ... dovetail with what I'm trying to do," Easley said Tuesday.

"I think she fully and completely understands what we're doing in North Carolina. And I want to see that happen across the country."

Easley has been elected four times statewide, twice as attorney general and twice as governor.

He is a superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention, but does not lead a large political organization.

Still, his endorsement has some punch, all the more so because he tried to stay out of the campaign for most of this spring.

"I was hoping it would be over before it came to North Carolina," Easley told the News & Record in an interview two weeks ago.

Easley's could be the last major endorsement by North Carolina Democrats.

Former Sen. John Edwards announced he was going on vacation rather than staying in the state for the last of the primary campaign.

Early voting is already under way in North Carolina. Primary day is May 6.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com