Biden: Obama Will "Shock The Living Devil Out Of You All" In WV

During a stop in OH, just a dozen miles from the WV border, Joe Biden pledged this week that Barack Obama will carry the Mountain State and "shock the living Devil out of you all."

Next week, he can make that promise in person. The DE senator is tentatively planning to campaign in WV Friday, marking the first general election appearance in the state for the Democratic ticket.

Obama lost the 5/13 WV primary by more than 40 points. But deploying Biden to the state is in keeping with the campaign's strategy of sending the senator to more rural, working-class areas that backed Hillary Clinton in the primaries, places like Biden's hometown, Scranton, PA.

Biden is appearing today in NM for the first time since his selection as the VP nominee. He's expected to include in his remarks today a response to Sarah Palin's comment yesterday in NC that she was happy to be in the "pro-America" part of the country.

The stop is the first public campaign event for him on a brief West Coast swing. He campaigns later tonight in NV, and will hold a rally Sunday in Tacoma, WA. Next week's itinerary also includes a two-day visit to CO.

(NBC/NJ's MIKE MEMOLI)