PHILADELPHIA, PA.–Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has a running start in the May 6 Indiana primary. Most of the Democratic-rich northeast part of the state is in the Chicago media market and voters there already know Obama.
The minus is the paid media is going to be expensive in ads run on Chicago tv. Still, the contest will give Chicagoans a taste of what they missed because there were no paid media wars in the Feb. 5 Illinois primary which Obama won–his only mega-state win.
Another proximity plus is Obama has an army of Illinois volunteers to send to Indiana–now seasoned by election work in nearby Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio.