EAST LANSING — A cold drizzle started moments before Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama took the stage at a rally Thursday on the campus of Michigan State University, but the rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the thousands of attendees.

Many of them waited more than three hours to witness Obama's first rally at a public university in Michigan.

In his roughly half-hour-long address, the Illinois senator covered many of his usual talking points, though he adapted his speech to touch on issues particularly relevant to his audience, including the nation's ailing auto industry, green energy and the role of higher education in helping the economy.

“We’re going to make sure that the research and development that’s needed for this new energy economy is done right here, because we’ve got some of the greatest universities here in Michigan,” he said. “We’ve got to use them to bring the innovation that will drive our economy to the twenty-first century.”

Obama spoke at length on how he plans to strengthen the struggling Michigan economy. He encouraged students to do community based work and join the Peace Corps in return for reduced tuition.

"Invest in America, and we will invest in you," he said. "And together, we will push this country forward."

While Obama spoke, news circulated that his opponent, Republican presidential nominee John McCain, had decided to pull campaign resources out of Michigan to focus on winning other battleground states this November. The decision followed a Detroit Free Press poll showing Obama ahead of McCain by 13 percentage points in the state.

With the state leaning toward Obama, candidates will likely shift their focus to other battleground states like Ohio or Florida, meaning fewer campaign stops in Michigan leading up to Election Day.

Despite the news that the McCain campaign was pulling its funding, Obama supporters on campus said they still hope the candidate makes an appearance at the University of Michigan.

Nathaniel Eli Coats Styer, chair of the University of Michigan College Democrats, said he anticipates a visit.

“The Obama campaign considers Ann Arbor the milk and the honey of the state Michigan,” Styer said. “We hope that he’s going to be here before Election Day. There’s no reason he should not be here.”

George Schuttler, president of the Michigan State University Democrats, said Thursday's rally was about energizing supporters rather than swaying the undecided. He said East Lansing, like Ann Arbor, is a Democratic stronghold.

“It’s not necessarily about converting area by area, but by touching voters individually,” he said, “So it’s not so much that Ann Arbor is in the bag, because to be fair, East Lansing’s in the bag too. If you were running a campaign that way, you would never see him (Obama) in major cities because most major cities vote Democratic.”

Schuttler also cited MSU’s strong agricultural programs as a possible draw for the candidate. Peter McShane-Lewis, a Michigan State senior and an Obama supporter, agreed.

“If his promise is ‘We’re going to invest in green economy and green energy sources,’ then Michigan State stands to gain a lot from that," he said. "If you can convince rural/agriculture people that that will be part of his plan, too, then I have to think that’s why he came here.”

Yesterday's rally was the first of several planned visits with youth voters in Michigan in the final days before the state's Oct. 6 voter registration deadline. A rally featuring rock musician Bruce Springsteen is also scheduled Monday at Oestrike Stadium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.