McCain to make another N.C. stop

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will return to North Carolina next week for a Fayetteville rally, his campaign announced Thursday.

McCain will hold a rally at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Crown Coliseum, and he will be joined by country singer Hank Williams Jr.

The event will be McCain's third visit to North Carolina in two weeks, following an Oct. 13 rally in Wilmington and an appearance last Saturday in Concord.

North Carolina has not backed a Democrat for president since 1976, but recent polls have shown McCain to be in a dead heat with Democratic candidate Barack Obama, and Republicans have focused on keeping North Carolina in their column on Nov. 4.

Obama has made several visits to the state in recent weeks, and his running mate, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, appeared Thursday in Charlotte and Winston-Salem and had a Raleigh event scheduled.

Tickets for McCain's Fayetteville rally can be obtained from GOP campaign offices in Raleigh and Fayetteville. Doors will open at 2 p.m. for the event.