Oct. 23, 2007 — Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama will be the guest of honor at a big-ticket event Nov. 5 at the Ritz-Carlton on St. Thomas.
Organizers say the visit is not only a campaign fund raiser but also a demonstration of the candidate's interest in the region.
"This event has been planned for a long time," said V.I. Democratic State Chair Cecil Benjamin, one of the organizers of the visit. "Obama is interested in our problems, and this is a way for him to show he is interested."
The visit is a collaboration between Puerto Rico Democratic State Chair Roberto Pratts and the Virgin Islands, Benjamin said. Obama will spend some time in the territory before going to Puerto Rico.
Presidential candidates "can no longer ignore the Caribbean," Benjamin said, and both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands may be poised "for the first time to be part of American politics." With its population of approximately four million, Puerto Rico is an important player in the presidential nomination, he said.
The reception starts at 8 a.m. Nov. 5 at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. RSVPs are required. A donation of $2,300 will make the donor a "Friend of Obama for America," while $1,000 will make the donor a "Guest of Obama for America." The total an individual can contribute per presidential election is $2,300.
The local host committee includes Michael Bornn, Amos Carty, Julie Cassinelli and Sebastiano Paiewonsky Cassinelli, Josefina and Ricardo Charaf, Tom Crane, Marjorie Roberts and Daryl Dodson, Carol Nicholson Fulp and Bernard Fulp, Waring Partridge, Catherine York, and Shari Decker and William Otto.
For event and host information, contact Jessica Clark at (305) 442-7464 or email her.
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