Obama will be joined in the state by former rivals for the nomination, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

The Illinois senator enjoyed a wealth of good news Sunday as his campaign announced it had raised more than $150 million in September, and former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell endorsed the Democratic candidate over fellow veteran McCain.

Speaking in the red state of North Carolina, Obama talked about how honored he was to have Powell's support. He decried what he says are the “scare” tactics McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin are using as polls show them behind with just more than two weeks to go before Election Day.

Obama specifically mentioned robo calls Republicans have launched over the last several days that mention the Democrat’s relationship with 1960s domestic terrorist William Ayers.

"We have seen some of these tactics from the other side and they will get even uglier and more intense in these last 16 days," Obama said. "You will get more telephone calls, and more flyers in the mail, and you will hear more outrageous attacks calculated to mislead, inflame and divide.  The other side will continue to make a big election about small things."

The McCain campaign poked fun at Obama's repeated invocation of Powell, arguing that the retired general's endorsement only highlights Obama's short time in office.

"Only an unproven and inexperienced politician like Barack Obama would have to rely so heavily on an another man's resume in making the case for his own candidacy -- and it shows that he's just not ready," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement.