Appearing in swing districts gives political cover to Democratic members who may be worried that they risk a conservative voter backlash if they support Obama's healthcare and global warming plans. The visits also could boost the reelection prospects of potentially vulnerable Democrats.
The locations picked for the tour were "not an accident at all," said Joe Trippi, a veteran of Democratic presidential primary campaigns. "They're sending them to districts that are swing districts."
White House spokesman Shin Inouye said the itinerary was not shaped by political considerations.
"We choose locations that represent broad geographical diversity for rural America and themes that are appropriate for each location," Inouye said.
One administration official said that a third of the states chosen for the tour were won by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in last year's presidential race -- proof, the official said, that the White House was not excluding red states that may be cool to Obama's message.
On July 18, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will appear in Ringgold, Va., to talk about plans for renewable energy. Ringgold is part of a southern Virginia district represented by Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello, who narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Virgil H. Goode Jr. last year.
Republicans are targeting Perriello for defeat in 2010. On Monday, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it was mounting an advertising blitz against more than a dozen Democrats, including Perriello, who voted for the Obama-backed energy bill meant to curb global warming.
Told of the visit to Perriello's district, Ken Spain, a spokesman for the Republican campaign committee, said: "The president is clearly engaged in damage control. Both he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked a number of Democrats to walk off a cliff."
On Aug. 16, Vilsack and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will stop in Zanesville, Ohio, in a district represented by Democratic Rep. Zack Space. Space won the seat in 2006, ending 12 years of Republican control.
The GOP is hoping to recapture the seat next year. The National Republican Congressional Committee included Space in the ad campaign that also targets Perriello.
The day after the Ohio visit, Vilsack and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are to appear in a North Carolina district held by freshman Democrat Larry Kissell. In 2008, Kissell defeated a Republican who had first been elected 10 years earlier.
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peter.nicholas@latimes.com
