Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, announced Thursday that he is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama

[Hope And Change]

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Armstrong supporting Obama


Friday, February 1, 2008

Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, announced Thursday that he is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Armstrong, who is minority leader of the Virginia House, was one of 17 delegates to back the Illinois senator Thursday. Armstrong and Dels. Vivian Watts, D-Annandale, and Bob Hull, D-Falls Church, made the announcement during a news conference in Richmond.

Armstrong, Watts and Hull each had supported former North Carolina senator John Edwards until he withdrew from the contest Wednesday.

According to The Associated Press, Armstrong said he is supporting Obama because he is closest to Edwards on issues of economic support for middle-income homes.

“My district has had great difficulty participating in the American dream, and if ever there was a region in this state that needed Barack Obama, it is my district,” Armstrong said, according to the AP.

In a news release, Armstrong said his decision to back Obama was an easy one.

“Sen. Obama is the one we can count on to stand up to the special interests that have blocked so much progress in Washington in recent years,” he stated. “It’s what he’s been doing throughout his two decades in public service, and we can count on him to do the same thing as president.”

Obama served in the Illinois State Senate before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. Armstrong’s district includes parts of Henry, Patrick and Carroll counties and part of Martinsville.

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