Rahall, speaking before he attended Saturday's Matewan Massacre reenactment in downtown Matewan, said he has urged Obama to stump in Logan, as the Kennedys did in the 1960s and as Sen. Ted Kennedy did in 2000 and 2004.
In the recent primary election, West Virginia went overwhelmingly for Sen. Hillary Clinton in her race for the presidential nomination.
West Virginia, typically a Democratic state, has voted Republican in the past two elections, helping to elect George W. Bush to the presidency twice.
Could W.Va. go red again if Obama gets the nod? Rahall said he believes the Mountain State will vote blue in the upcoming general election in November.
"Obama has some work to do and he realizes that," Rahall said. "I expect him to be in the state many times and to be very competitive in the fall."
Rahall threw his support behind Obama early in the campaign season. He said he expects Obama to campaign in Logan County before November.
"Sen. Kennedy came here in the last campaign four years ago and I am urging strongly that Sen. Obama come here to Logan and spend some time in the deep southern coal counties, including the many other counties that surround us as well," Rahall said.
Rahall said he will be behind Obama or Clinton come November.
"The Clintons are very popular here and I congratulate Sen. Clinton on a tremendous campaign she ran and the amount of time she and her husband and their daughter spent in the state. That's what it takes. I think Sen. Obama knows that now very clearly," Rahall said.
Rahall added that he believes when the November general election rolls around, the Democratic Party will be united.
"Should Sen. Clinton win the nomination, I'll be behind her 1,000 percent. I'll send her a check the next day and everything. I'm so strong for whoever our nominee will be," he said. "Sen. Obama does look like he has the numbers in his favor and I would expect by the time primary season is over that we will have a united party and West Virginians will recognize we cannot have another four years of George Bush. That would just be devastating."
Rahall said he would like to see Sen. Clinton as the vice presidential candidate, but he hinted at another elected official who would make a good veepee.
"If not (Sen. Clinton), then perhaps the governor of a big state like Ohio who backed Hillary, but who has said if Sen. Obama gets the nomination he'll be firmly behind him," Rahall said. "I've worked with Gov. Ted Strickland and he would be a good candidate."
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