June 27, 2008 Democrats hope to mend fences in Unity, NH Play video

(NECN: Alison King, Unity, NH) - Democrats are hoping to unify the party today in Unity, New Hampshire. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are hitting the campaign trail together for the first time. Clinton won the primary in the Granite State, and it is now a critical battleground in the general election.

Clinton has already loaned Obama her top fundraisers, and now the two senators rivals are going to see if she can do the same with her supporters.

Aside from the symbolism of its name, Unity awarded exactly 107 votes to each candidate in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary in January.

The Unity gathering was the latest and most visible event in a series of gestures the two senators have made in the past two days in hopes of settling the hard feelings of the long primary season. Clinton also praised Obama before two major interest groups Thursday - the American Nurses Association, which endorsed her during the primaries, and NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Obama is depending on former first lady to give her voters and donors a clear signal that she doesn't consider it a betrayal for them to shift their loyalty his way. Clinton won convincingly among several voter groups during the primaries, including working class voters and older women - groups that Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain has actively courted since she left the race.

*Material from the Associated Press used in this report*