The Oskaloosa Herald
OSKALOOSA —
President Barack Obama’s campaign stop in Oskaloosa is not the first time he has been in town.
During the campaign for the 2008 election, the then-Illinois senator stopped at Smokey Row for a July 4, 2007, campaign event.
Obama brought his family to Oskaloosa as part of a three-stop campaign swing through south-central Iowa on the Fourth of July. People packed Smokey Row, formed a line outside the coffee shop and gathered on the westside of the city square for a chance to see or hear him.
Obama shook hands with people gathered inside Smokey Row after his speech while his wife spoke to people gathered on the city square. He then went outside to greet people on the square.
Obama won the January 2008 Iowa Caucuses statewide and built momentum from the win to secure the Democratic nomination for president.
During the General Election in November 2008, Obama carried the state; however, in Mahaska County, John McCain and Sarah Palin won the county by a vote margin of 6,249 to 4,450.
Iowa once again is a battleground state for the November election. Obama is making a three-day campaign swing through Iowa this next week. On Tuesday, he will appear in Oskaloosa, Marshalltown and Waterloo.
As of press time, the Obama campaign has not released information on the time or location of the president’s campaign stop.
