Obama for President campaign workers held a grand opening Saturday for a campaign office in downtown Southern Pines.

The campaign office is one of more than 20 opening at different locations across the state. It is at 175 W. Pennsyl-vania Ave.

The grand opening was to celebrate the end of the campaign's first voter registration drive and canvassing in Moore County.

Campaign workers hope to help Illinois Sen. Barack Obama carry North Carolina's May 6 primary. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's camp has not set up an office in the heavily Republican Moore County.

Though North Carolina's primary is historically an afterthought, this one could decide the Democratic nominee.

Obama and Clinton are engaged in an unusually close race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Though some argue that it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win enough delegates to become the nominee, she's pledged to fight until the convention.

An Obama win in North Carolina could be the final blow that forces Clinton to drop out of the race. But if Clinton were to win, it could lend credence to her argument that the party's superdelegates should support her.

Along with Pennsylvania (April 22), North Carolina is one of the largest primaries left. Indiana is also holding a primary May 6.

Obama has already been to Moore County once. He taped a segment of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble" playing basketball with soldiers from Fort Bragg at the FirstHealth Center for Health and Fitness in Pinehurst.

Some campaign staff and a handful of out-of-state volunteers will be working out of the Obama office in downtown Southern Pines. The campaign rented the office from The Pilot.

Publisher David Woronoff said that renting the campaign office space does not equate to endorsing the candidate.

"Their money is as green as anybody else's," Woronoff said. "We've been pretty ecumenical with who we rent to. We had the Republicans a few election cycles ago. The Obama campaign paid in advance, so I'm happy."

Contact Matthew Moriarty at 693-2479 or by e-mail at moriarty@thepilot.com.