Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com). Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it exclusively produces is in the public domain. Obama to Officially Begin White House Campaign ---------------------------------------------- http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=162F8C4:A6F02AD83191E160DAC97E25D3DFA1779574F7DCC14957C0 Illinois Senator making announcement in hometown of 19th century President Abraham Lincoln Senator Barack Obama discusses his official candidacy announcement on his website barackobama.comIllinois Senator Barack Obama will formally declare his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination Saturday in the state capital, Springfield. Obama will make his announcement in the hometown of 19th century President Abraham Lincoln, where Obama himself once served as a state senator before his 2004 election to the U.S. Senate.  In a video message posted Friday on his web site, he told supporters they would begin "a journey to take our country back." After the announcement, Obama will travel to Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states to hold primary elections during the early nominating process. He will battle a slew of Democratic candidates in his quest to become the first African-American elected to the White House, including New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP. .