By Susan Redden

sredden@joplinglobe.com

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden will be in Springfield on Friday as part of a two-day campaign trip to Missouri.

Biden will speak at 11:30 a.m. at a rally at Jordan Valley Park, 735 E. Trafficway.

The Springfield appearance will mark his second day in Missouri, after three stops today at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, William Jewell College in Liberty and Memorial Park in Jefferson City.

The Springfield event is free and open to the public. Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are not required, but those attending are being urged to register in advance at www.barackobama.com.

Biden, a longtime U.S. senator from Delaware, visited Missouri earlier, and both Barack Obama and John McCain have made frequent visits to Missouri.

Both presidential candidates spoke in Springfield earlier this year. McCain appeared at a town-hall meeting at Missouri State University, and Obama spoke at a rally at Glendale High School.

Last week, McCain spoke at the Truman Library in Independence, and Michelle Obama spoke at a rally in downtown Kansas City.

Polling

After the stock market meltdown, Barack Obama moved ahead of John McCain in polling among Missouri voters, according to Fox News/Rasumussen Reports. Results of the group’s latest telephone poll, released Monday, showed Obama with 50 percent of the vote, McCain with 47 percent, and Ralph Nader and Bob Barr with 1 percent each. The remainder of the respondents were undecided.