Barack Obama's surging presidential campaign is set to bring the fight for the Democratic nomination to the key strongholds of his chief rival Hillary Clinton.
Following New Hampshire's primary vote, Obama is expected to travel to Clinton's home turf for events Wednesday in the New York City area, including at least one high-dollar fundraiser.
On the opposite coast, Obama's campaign also announced plans Monday for a rally literally on the doorstep of Hillary Clinton's most vocal supporter in Los Angeles.
The campaign will hold a "California Counts" event on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has been among the staunchest of Clinton surrogates, traveling both to Iowa and New Hampshire to stump for the New York senator.
Villaraigosa barnstormed Iowa for Clinton talking with Latino immigrants in Marshalltown, as well as voters in Muscatine and Indianola. He also appeared alongside fellow Clinton surrogates Gen. Wesley Clark and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright during the senator's Iowa Caucus concession speech in Des Moines.
The day after Clinton's third-place finish in the caucus, Villaraigosa joined campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe and prominent supporters from New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada to try to emphasize the campaign's readiness to fight fresh battles in other early voting states.
"We've got a double-digit lead in California, the vast majority of the key electeds in the state," Villaraigosa said from New Hampshire. "We've got a field organization here that is going to match any anywhere, and we feel very strongly about California."
The LA City Hall gathering is one of several events the Obama camp has planned in California for the next two days. Supporters will be gathering Tuesday afternoon at campaign offices in Oakland, Sacramento and Los Angeles, as well as a bar in San Diego to watch the New Hampshire voting returns.
Other "California Counts" events on Wednesday are slated for the San Francisco Civic Plaza, Sacramento City Hall and the Community Concourse in San Diego.
California stands as the biggest prize of the 22 states that go to the polls on the so-called Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, and Obama is expected to return to the Golden State on Jan. 16 for a fundraiser in Los Angeles.