Obama-mania

[Carter711]

Senator Barack Obama appeared in NH for the first time in his life Sunday, stopping in Portsmouth for a book-signing and unscheduled stop at Breaking New Grounds Coffee Shop before headlining a Democratic Victory party in Manchester.

1,000 turned out in Portsmouth and the 1,500 tickets to the dinner sold out in a day, with more than 150 media outlets covered the visit, including every major paper, network, and cable news station. For an event to attract such a frenzy in NH so early in the process is unprecedented, and has not been seen since Bobby Kennedy's 1968 run. Indiana Senator and presidential prospect Evan Bayh was also in the state but his visit went virtually unnoticed. The primary is not for another 15 months.