Obama to open third campaign office in South Carolina

Washington (CNN) – Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign will mark the candidate’s 46th birthday tomorrow by opening a South Carolina office in the state’s traditionally conservative Upstate region.

It will be the campaign’s third office in South Carolina, making Obama the Democratic candidate with the most campaign offices in the early primary state.

Obama already has an office in the state capital of Columbia, and his campaign opened a Low Country office in Charleston last month.

Obama’s Upstate headquarters will be based in Greenville. The opening will be headlined by Obama supporter Inez Tenenbaum, the former Superintendent of Schools in South Carolina and an influential voice in state Democratic politics.

“You need to be in the grassroots to run a grassroots campaign, and by opening up offices around the state, we’re building relationships with voters and giving South Carolinians a convenient place to go to volunteer or learn more about the Senator,” said Kevin Griffis, Obama’s South Carolina Communications Director.

Most of the other Democratic campaigns in the state, including those of Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards, have offices in the state capital of Columbia. Edwards won the state’s primary in 2004.

A Clinton spokesperson said the campaign plans to open more offices across the state.

- CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby