This is the first of a two-part series on the Presidential campaign in Missouri. We will continue our series tomorrow with McCain surrogate Lloyd Smith.

With only four weeks left before the general election, the Presidential race in Missouri is tighter than ever. According to Real Clear Politics on October 6, Senator John McCain continued to hold a narrow 1.7% edge over Senator Barack Obama. The Republican candidate’s edge is within the margin of error.

Barack Obama’s Missouri State Campaign Director, Buffy Wicks, feels that Missouri is going to be close all the way to November. "We see the polls kind of move up and down marginally," she says. "CNN came out with a poll last week that has us up one (percent)."

Like traditionally Republican Virginia and North Carolina, Obama is gaining traction in Missouri. Wicks attributes the last eight years for growing unease with the GOP in these normally red states. "They’re looking at the legacy of the Bush Administration," she says. "Regardless of if they are Democrat or Republican, they are seeking the change that we need in this country. And they are not finding it from the McCain campaign."

Contrary to rumors circulated around the web last week, the Democrat’s campaign is not packing up and leaving Missouri like John Kerry in 2004. Wicks adds, "I think that is some wishful thinking on the Republican front. We are actually hiring more staff."

As more and more battleground states continue to poll in Obama’s direction, Missouri becomes a must-win for McCain. Obama’s campaign sees Missouri as another state that went red in 2000 and 2004 that could turn blue in 2008. As evidence that the Democrats feel that they can win the Show-Me State, Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden will spend two full days campaigning in Missouri later this week.

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