Obama campaign releases details of Fayetteville rally

Fayetteville, N.C. — The Obama campaign released details Thursday about a rally in Fayetteville on Sunday, a day after the top candidate on the Republican ticket will appear in North Carolina.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will speak at the "We Need a Change Rally" at the Crown Coliseum, 1960 Coliseum Drive. Doors open at 11 a.m., and the program begins at 1:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees were urged to RSVP at the Obama campaign's N.C. Web site.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain plans to speak a day earlier at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center in Concord. Doors open at 8 a.m. for the 10 a.m. event, and tickets are available through McCain campaign offices on a first-come, first-served basis.

Recent polls have shown McCain and Obama in a dead heat in North Carolina, a state that has not voted for a Democratic candidate in a presidential election in 32 years.

The state's battleground status has brought both campaigns in for rallies in recent weeks, with Obama and his running mate, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, starting the parade last month. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visited Greenville on Oct. 7, and McCain made his first public appearance in the state when he spoke at a Wilmington rally Monday. Palin headlined a rally at Elon University on Thursday.