8,500 Attend Oprah, Obama Rally

From The Obama Campaign:

More than 8,500 Granite Staters from across New Hampshire descended on the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester for a rally with Senator Obama, Michelle Obama, and special guest Oprah Winfrey.

"This is an incredible opportunity for me to speak to thousands of New Hampshire voters who might not otherwise come out to a political event, and to energize the thousands of volunteers and supporters already working for change around the state." Obama said before the event. "Americans are looking for a fundamental change in Washington—change they can believe in—and the tremendous crowds we're seeing at these events are a testament to the strength of that desire."

The event added a boost of momentum and organizational strength to a campaign that is quickly gaining ground in New Hampshire and the other early states. In the week preceding the event:

-More than 650 new volunteers signed up to help the campaign
-More than 500 supporters volunteered in the lead-up to the rally
-More than 250 volunteers worked on-site at the event
-More than 2,300 new New Hampshire supporters joined the campaign