Clinton adviser: North Carolina 'irrelevant'

Barack Obama is drawing attention to North Carolina.

The Democratic presidential candidate's campaign staffers will host a conference call this afternoon to draw attention to the state's May 6 primary.

They are trying to draw attention to rival Hillary Clinton's take on the state.

In a recent conference call, a Clinton spokesman did not include North Carolina on the list of upcoming states that they thought she would do well in. And in today's New York Times, a Clinton adviser downplayed Obama's strength in the South:

"Most of those states haven't voted Democratic in a presidential since the Johnson landslide over Goldwater in 1964, and we don't see that changing," said Harold Ickes, a senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton. "They're great states, but Idaho, Nebraska and the Carolinas are not going to be in the Democratic column in November. He's winning the Democratic process, but that is virtually irrelevant to the general election."

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, an Obama supporter, will be on the call.

Previously: N.C. hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since 1976.