Thursday is a big day for Missouri political observers as three of the four people on the major party tickets campaign in the state.
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-IL) holds a rally Thursday night on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia. His Democratic running mate, Joe Biden (D-DE), takes part in an event Thursday morning in Arnold, while Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R-AK) welcomes supporters to a rally Thursday morning in Cape Girardeau.
University of Central Missouri Political Science Professor Shari Bax says the fact Missouri is getting this much attention in the final week of the election campaign shows just how valuable and up for grabs our 11 electoral votes are to the campaigns.
Bax says it is important to Missourians that they get a chance to get to know their public officials, with the opportunity to see them in person. Given this, she says it is smart for both the Obama and McCain campaigns to remain active in Missouri.