KANSAS CITY — How much would Barack Obama love to win Missouri?
Let us count the staffers… 148, 149, yes, 150 …
The Democrat's campaign said Tuesday it is tripling its paid staff — to an unprecedented 150 workers, who will fan out from 30 field offices across the state, from West Plains to Maryville.
"It's unheard of," veteran Democratic worker Woody Overton of Kansas City said of the effort and expenditure. "It’s unbelievable."
"Desperate" is the adjective John McCain's camp used. "When you feel like you have to put that many people in the state to cover it, it means you think you're in trouble and you have to have a surge," said Jack Jackson, McCain’s Missouri co-chairman.
Recent polls indicate the race in Missouri is close.
McCain's operation expects to have 12 to 14 full-time workers and 10 offices. The Arizona Republican now has four people on the ground. The Obama camp said it already has 50.
The Illinois senator’s deep pockets, resulting from millions of small contributors, gives him the chance to organize in ways and places that no Democrat has before, experts say.
Read the full story at KansasCity.com.