By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Can Barack Obama draw Republican votes away from John McCain? That's the goal of a group called Missouri Republicans for Obama.
The organization held a series of press conferences across the state today, including one at the State Capitol.
Jim Leach, a former GOP Congressman from Iowa, says Obama will address concerns that "old-fashioned Republicans" have about the current direction of the party.
"Lack of discipline on spending, vis-a-vie taxes, the emphasis on regulating values instead of advancing individual rights, concerns about attacking countries that didn't attack us," Leach said.
One member of the group says he believes GOP nominee John McCain will follow the same foreign policy path as President Bush.
Tina Hervey, spokesperson for the Missouri Republican Party, says they're not worried about losing votes to Obama.
"I think if anyone should be concerned about anything, it should be the Barack Obama campaign, and our inroads with disaffected and upset Democrats...upset by the way that Senator (Hillary) Clinton was treated, and upset by the extreme liberal agenda," Hervey said.
Hervey suggests there'll be more Democrats voting for the McCain-Palin ticket than Republicans voting for Obama-Biden.
So far, there are no current Republican officeholders from Missouri who are crossing over to support Obama.