As Sen. Barack Obama rides his Iowa success into today's New Hampshire primary, he can count on a little help from a former Helenan.

Queen City native James Swartout volunteered to help Obama's campaign in the Granite State for three days last week.

"The atmosphere up there was absolutely incredible," Swartout said in a phone interview Monday. "I've never seen anything like it, especially for a primary election that early.

"I think the momentum definitely seems to be on Obama's side at this point," he added.

While Obama traveled the state, making a half-dozen campaign appearances per day, Swartout -- who cut his political teeth working on veterans' issues for Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., before moving on to a national-security think tank in Washington, D.C. -- met with veterans' groups in Manchester, N.H., plugging Obama's message.

He said New Hampshire and Montana have a few things in common: both have high per-capita rates of military service, and in both states veterans' issues are important.

Swartout, whose father Bob teaches history at Carroll College, grew up in Helena, attending Bryant Elementary, Helena Middle School and Helena High School. The 34-year-old University of Portland graduate has been in Washington, D.C., for about 18 months now. One of his duties is helping develop foreign policy for the Obama campaign.

Although a recent poll showed Sen. Hillary Clinton leading among Montana's Democratic voters, Swartout said Obama is the better choice for the Big Sky State.

"Some of the very big problems we're seeing across the country are only going to be solved in a bipartisan fashion," he said. "What Sen. Obama brings to the table is the ability to unite people and really get things done, and really concentrate the optimism and hope of people across the country to get these very difficult things done."

Reporter Larry Kline: 447-4075

or larry.kline@helenair.com