Oct 2, 2008 7:51 am US/Eastern
Springsteen, Jay-Z To Perform For Obama In Mich.
LANSING, Mich. (CBS/AP) ―
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The Boss and hip-hop star Jay-Z will appear together in concert in Lansing, Michigan in name of Barack Obama's candidacy.
AP
With just five days left to register voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was traveling to Michigan and sending in his wife, hip-hop star Jay-Z and rock star Bruce Springsteen to push the registration message.
The campaign also has created a video playing on the Obama Web site and YouTube that features Obama, running mate Joe Biden and a host of Michigan Democrats and popular entertainers who have hosted voter registration rallies and events in the state.
"This is the biggest election of our lifetime," Obama says in the video. "If you are already registered to vote, get your friends and family to register to vote. If you need more information about where to go, get on our Web site. ... Remember, we need to do it by October 6th."
The Democratic presidential candidate has been a huge favorite with young adults, some of whom have never voted, and with blacks. But unless supporters are registered to vote, they can't help him on Election Day, something Obama plans to emphasize Thursday during rallies in Grand Rapids and at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Michigan's voter registration rolls have seen a net increase of more than 100,000 voters since January, to more than 7.2 million. Secretary of state officials won't have a final tally until after Monday's voter registration deadline, but Obama strategists hope to raise the number of new registrants to 150,000.
A spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party has said the number of eligible voters registered to vote already is high in Michigan -- 95 percent. His party is focused on identifying supporters for GOP presidential candidate John McCain and on making sure they vote.
Obama's Michigan campaign director, Amy Chapman, sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to volunteer to register voters by Monday's deadline.
Obama's wife, Michelle Obama, will push voter registration during a Saginaw rally at Heritage High School early Thursday afternoon before heading to Chippewa Valley High School in Macomb County's Clinton Township for a late afternoon talk on the economy. Tickets to either event no longer are available.
The campaign also has enlisted Jay-Z, who will perform Saturday at Detroit's Cobo Arena during a free rally and concert to promote voter registration, and Bruce Springsteen, who will perform Monday at an Eastern Michigan University rally.
Those interested in attending the Jay-Z event can pick up one free ticket at Campaign for Change offices in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield and Wayne County's Canton Township. Jay-Z, one of Obama's favorite musicians, has won seven Grammy Awards, is married to singer Beyonce Knowles and is part-owner of the New Jersey Nets.
Ticket details were not available early Thursday for the Springsteen event. The Obama campaign said Springsteen would play a free acoustic set and headline the rally at Oestrike Stadium on Eastern Michigan's campus.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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