CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Sen. Hillary Clinton's visit to Charleston Friday to endorse 2nd Congressional District nominee Anne Barth will be a boost for everyone on the ticket, state Democratic Party officials said Tuesday.

"It will excite people and it will help everybody from the top to the bottom of the ticket," Ned Rose, Barth's campaign manager, said of Clinton's visit. "It will be good to have her here, and it will be good for everybody, from Senator. Obama down to the county surveyor."

Clinton's visit will be her first to the state since the May primary, which she won decisively.

While the rally Friday at the University of Charleston specifically is to endorse Barth, a longtime aide to Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the coordinator of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in West Virginia is confident Clinton also will use the opportunity to promote Obama's candidacy.

"I believe even though she's coming in for Anne, she will promote the rest of the ticket," said Tom Vogel with the Campaign for Change.

Barth spokesman Mark Ferrell said Sens. Byrd and Clinton have been friends for some time, and said Byrd personally invited her to campaign for Barth several weeks ago. He said Clinton agreed to make a stop the next time she was in the area.

"This all came together very fast the other night," Ferrell said.

Ferrell said he is certain that Clinton will use her visit to call for West Virginians to support Obama on Nov. 4.

"Of course she will say great things about Barack Obama, and so will Anne Barth," he said.

To date, neither Obama nor Sen. Joe Biden has made any campaign appearances in West Virginia, focusing instead, Vogel noted, on large battleground states. Obama is scheduled to be in Portsmouth, Ohio, about 35 miles from West Virginia, on Thursday.

However, if polls continue to show support shifting toward Obama in those key states, Vogel said it is more likely one or both of the candidates will visit West Virginia.

"As the polls go to Senator Obama in those states, the chances increase for him to come in here," he said.

Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com or 348-1220.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Sen. Hillary Clinton's visit to Charleston Friday to endorse 2nd Congressional District nominee Anne Barth will be a boost for everyone on the ticket, state Democratic Party officials said Tuesday.

"It will excite people and it will help everybody from the top to the bottom of the ticket," Ned Rose, Barth's campaign manager, said of Clinton's visit. "It will be good to have her here, and it will be good for everybody, from Senator. Obama down to the county surveyor."

Clinton's visit will be her first to the state since the May primary, which she won decisively.

While the rally Friday at the University of Charleston specifically is to endorse Barth, a longtime aide to Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the coordinator of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in West Virginia is confident Clinton also will use the opportunity to promote Obama's candidacy.

"I believe even though she's coming in for Anne, she will promote the rest of the ticket," said Tom Vogel with the Campaign for Change.

Barth spokesman Mark Ferrell said Sens. Byrd and Clinton have been friends for some time, and said Byrd personally invited her to campaign for Barth several weeks ago. He said Clinton agreed to make a stop the next time she was in the area.

"This all came together very fast the other night," Ferrell said.

Ferrell said he is certain that Clinton will use her visit to call for West Virginians to support Obama on Nov. 4.

"Of course she will say great things about Barack Obama, and so will Anne Barth," he said.

To date, neither Obama nor Sen. Joe Biden has made any campaign appearances in West Virginia, focusing instead, Vogel noted, on large battleground states. Obama is scheduled to be in Portsmouth, Ohio, about 35 miles from West Virginia, on Thursday.

However, if polls continue to show support shifting toward Obama in those key states, Vogel said it is more likely one or both of the candidates will visit West Virginia.

"As the polls go to Senator Obama in those states, the chances increase for him to come in here," he said.

Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com or 348-1220.