Just two days after the Republican National Convention, the Obama campaign opened an office in Staunton on West Beverly Street Saturday.
It was standing room only as more than 100 supporters came out for the grand opening of an Obama office in downtown Staunton.
Grace Anderson, an Obama supporter, said, "I went away to school in North Carolina, where I was a little more progressive, so coming back and seeing that the Obama office opened was really surprising, but I think it's awesome."
Cyndi Kimmel, an Obama volunteer said, "I think that's what the grassroots movement is about at its core just connecting with the community and making it as local as possible."
The Obama campaign has headquarters spread throughout Virginia and not surprisingly, in liberal leaning parts of the commonwealth. But supporters say Staunton will offer a unique energy, capitalizing on the youth vote. Mary Baldwin College is just up the road, and a significant population of the city itself voted for the president four years ago.
Staunton City Councilor Ophie Kier said, "Obama actually won Staunton during the last election and Staunton is one of the only cities in Augusta County that he took, so there is a large support here for the president."
Aside from loyalty the reasons why people say President Obama is the man for the job, a second time, is just as diverse as Saturday's crowd.
"Romney and Ryan are doing a lot with cutting Planned Parenthood funding and birth control rights, I think that we as women have come too far to lose those rights and we can't have it happen now," said Anderson.
