(The Associated Press circulated the following article on August 2.)
ST. LOUIS — Democrats John Kerry and John Edwards will travel across the battleground state of Missouri by bus and train this week, their presidential campaign announced Monday.
On Wednesday, Kerry will arrive by chartered bus in Hannibal from Iowa for a 4 p.m. rally at the intersection of Hill and Main streets, near the boyhood home of Missouri-born author Mark Twain.
Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt said the newly nominated Democratic ticket will appear at an 11:30 a.m. rally on Thursday at St. Louis’ Union Station before boarding a special westbound train.
Later Thursday, the train will stop in Jefferson City for a 4 p.m. rally on the south lawn of the statehouse with statewide Democratic nominees selected in Tuesday’s primaries. Then the train will take Kerry and Edwards to Kansas City, where they will appear together on Friday.
Details of the Friday event in Kansas City were still being worked out, said campaign spokesman Michael Golden. He did not know whether the special train would make stops in smaller communities along the east-west rail line.
Golden also said Monday afternoon he could not confirm a report, attributed to a local Democratic activist, that Edwards, the vice presidential nominee, is to appear Wednesday in Cape Girardeau.
The Kerry-Edwards campaign said more details of the stops would be posted by Tuesday afternoon on its Web site.
As in 2004, when the state was carried by President Bush, Missouri is once again considered a swing state in the White House race. Bush campaigned Friday in Springfield, and Vice President Dick Cheney is to appear in Lee’s Summit on Wednesday.