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October 23, 2008

Obama to Leave Campaign Trail Thursday to Visit Ill Grandmother
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EE47D1:A6F02AD83191E1608A1ED716AD58B35DE55ED32ED25AB8F6&
 
Democratic presidential candidate holds rally in midwestern city of
Indianapolis before heading to Hawaii; Republican rival John Mc Cain
holds set of rallies in Florida 
Barack Obama addresses supporters during rally in Richmond, Virginia, 22
Oct 2008U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is taking a
break from campaigning to fly to Hawaii later Thursday to visit his
ailing grandmother. Obama will hold a rally in the midwestern city/state
of Indianapolis, Indiana, before heading to the Pacific state to see
85-year-old Madelyn Dunham. The Illinois senator's campaign announced
earlier this week that Dunham's health had worsened in recent days,
prompting Obama's decision to see her. Media reports say Madelyn Dunham
has suffered a broken hip. Obama is leaving the campaign trail holding a
substantial lead in most voter surveys over Republican candidate John Mc
Cain, including in a handful of critical states with large votes in the
Electoral College. Analysts attribute Obama's strong lead to a
perception that he is better able to handle the troubled economy than
the Arizona senator. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin,
right, cheers as Republican presidential candidate John Mc Cain
addresses rally in Uniontown, Ohio, 22 Oct 2008Mc Cain will hold a set
of "Joe the Plumber" rallies in the southeastern state of Florida
Thursday, where surveys show the two men are in a tight race. The
rallies are named after the Ohio man who challenged Obama about his tax
policies during a campaign stop. Mc Cain has invoked the man's challenge
ever since their last televised debate to criticize the Democrat's tax
plans as socialism. Obama will return to the mainland Saturday for a
campaign rally in the western state of Nevada.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Bloomberg.


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