Obama, Clinton to speak at Jefferson-Jackson Dinner

Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina takes center stage on Friday night with Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama speaking at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

The event was supposed to be a dinner for 500, now the crowd has grown to 900 with 4,000 expected to be in the audience to watch the two speak days before the state’s primary on Tuesday.

“It is huge. We’ve never had anything like this. It is clearly unprecedented,” said Jerry Meek, state Democratic Party Chair.

Tickets for the event sold out hours after Obama and Clinton announced they would attend. The candidates will be speaking to an audience filled with key Democrats in the state, including some superdelegates.

“These are the people who are with the party through thick and thin. They are the ones who will get out and work for you. They are the ones who will write checks for you too,” said political commentator Barlow Herget.

The timing of the event has also brought increased interest. A WRAL news poll released Wednesday showed that Obama's double-digit lead over Clinton among Tar Heel Democrats had dropped to just 7 points.

More here ------> http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/2823809/