Contact: Chuck Porcari (cell: (240) 286-7566) or Mark Sokolove (cell: (703) 599-7656) or (202) 785-8683

WASHINGTON - The League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the political voice of the national environmental and conservation community, today announced it has begun an independent campaign to help Barack Obama win the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate.

LCV will launch a new TV spot, titled "Rising Star," beginning Wednesday night and running through Election Day in the Chicago media market. The ad focuses on Mr. ObamaÆs extraordinary record of protecting the environment - standing up to Bush Administration efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act and working to reduce IllinoisÆ high asthma rates. The ad buy is a significant, six-figure purchase.

"WeÆre excited to be working on behalf of Barack Obama, a rising star who will be a champion for the health and safety of Illinois citizens in the U.S. Senate," said LCV President Deb Callahan.

Mr. Obama is one of only six members of the Illinois State Senate to receive a 100% Environmental Voting Record Award for 2003 from the Illinois Environmental Council. While serving in the State Senate, Mr. Obama, co-sponsored legislation to promote renewable energy, worked to clean up the Lake Shore on the South Side of Chicago, and strongly supported Brownfields cleanup with the Illinois First environmental program.

Below is a script of the ad:

League of Conservation Voters

"Rising Star"

TV-30

(Title: Deb Callahan, President League of Conservation Voters)

Deb Callahan to camera:

ThereÆs one candidate for Senate whoÆs won the tough fights for a cleaner and healthier Illinois - Barack Obama.

(Title: "Deb Callahan, President" fades. Title now reads "League of Conservation Voters endorses Barack Obama)

(Landscape with smoke stacks - Obama took on Bush and Polluters, Source: SB 3147, 2/6/04)

Obama took on the polluters and President Bush for cleaner power plants.

(Toddler on swing, children playing on field - Obama fought to reduce asthma, Source SB 00625 1/2/03)

And he led the fight to reduce IllinoisÆ record rates of asthma.

(Photo of Obama and newspaper titles - Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune Endorse Barack Obama)

The Sun-Times calls him a rising star and the Tribune endorses him, too.

(Deb Callahan - Paid for and authorized by the League of Conservation Voters; Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee; www.lcv.org)

The nonprofit League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental and conservation community. LCV, which is not a partisan organization, is the only national organization working full-time to hold Congress and the president accountable for their environmental actions. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.lcv.org.