BARACK OBAMA has sent five of his most senior operatives to Florida - two of them to focus on Miami - for the duration of the presidential campaign in a newly- sharpened strategy to drive Democratic voter turnout in the Republican-heavy state.
The big bet on Florida and Miami-Dade County, Obama aides say, is based on the campaign's belief that it has secured enough supporters to win and must ensure that they get to the polls.
This is in contrast to states such as Ohio, where the campaign believes victory depends on persuading additional voters to support Mr Obama.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade County disclosed that Democrats had added more than 94,000 voters to the rolls since January, compared with about 21,000 Republicans, a gain that came partly from the Obama campaign's registration efforts there.
Democrats also have made large gains statewide, although final numbers are not yet known.
In addition, the campaign has identified more than 500,000 African-Americans and hundreds of thousands of young people statewide who were registered but did not vote four years ago.
That year, President Bush undertook a massive Republican voter-targeting effort and secured a victory margin of about 380,000 votes.
"The demographics of Florida have lined up better for us than in some other battleground states," said Steve Hildebrand, Mr Obama's deputy campaign manager. "Ohio is more about persuasion. Here it's more about turnout."
Some Florida Republicans have been grumbling in recent weeks that the McCain campaign has not kept pace with advertising and grassroots activities in the state.
Obama aides have said they planned to spend $39 million to win Florida.
But some Republicans think the total expenditure will far exceed that amount, given the television ads, spots that play even on country music stations - which Republicans tend to target - and the campaign's paid staff of almost 400.
"Obviously, we're not used to being outspent," said Al Cardenas, the state's former Republican chairman and an adviser to the McCain campaign.
"This is new. Now, we're getting a sense for how the other side has felt."
Mr Cardenas said the race in Florida was far from over.
Mr McCain remains popular among Cuban-Americans, who are traditionally Republican, and high-profile supporters such as independent senator Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat, might help boost Jewish support.
Mr Cardenas also cited the McCain campaign's appeal to conservative voters in northern Florida, home to many military members and veterans, and he said the party continues to enjoy a robust get-out-the-vote network.
Still, Mr Cardenas said, the true strength of the Obama campaign is an open question.
Can the Democrats, who have never mounted a sophisticated ground game in Florida, build enough of a cushion in the vote-rich southern counties to offset Republican strongholds in the conservative Panhandle?
Mr McCain, who arrived in the state yesterday, was due to make two appearances, including a Miami event aimed at Cuban-Americans and other Hispanics.
The Obama strategy already has changed the political landscape in representative Mario Diaz-Balart's congressional district in south Florida.
Just six years ago, Mr Diaz-Balart, a Republican, headed the state panel that drew the boundaries to create a safe Republican seat. Today, thanks to registration increases, polls show that Diaz-Balart is in a close race for re-election.
Now, the Obama campaign has begun co-ordinating efforts with the Democratic challenger Joe Garcia. In a trade-off that is uniquely Miami, Mr Garcia is trying to deliver a portion of the district's Cuban-Americans, who are typically Republican, while Mr Obama's team is trying to help push record turnout among the district's small but energised black population.
The most recent surveys show Mr Obama leading in Florida, with margins that range from one to eight percentage points.
But aides believe that if they can reach all of their voters starting on Monday, when early voting begins, they can extend the margin, taking the state's coveted 27 electoral votes and thwarting McCain in a must-win state for his campaign.
- ( LA Times-Washington Postservice)