Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama will be in Oregon on Friday and Saturday with public rally stops planned Friday in Portland and Eugene.

Loyd Henion, the chairman of the Linn County Democratic Central Committee, said he contacted U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Portland to see if he could persuade Obama to hold a rally at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany. As of this morning, the congressman had not returned Henion’s call.

A representative from Obama’s campaign office in Chicago said a decision will be made late today or early Thursday morning as to whether the Illinois senator will visit any other Oregon cities.

Obama will hold what his campaign calls a “Stand For Change Rally” starting at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Memorial Coliseum in Portland. The doors open at 7:30 a.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For a free ticket go to http://or.barackobama.com/portland.

Obama’s second rally is at McArthur Court on the University of Oregon campus at 9 p.m. Friday, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are not required, but those planning to go are asked to RSVP to www.barackobama.com. Scroll down to “Obama events” and look for the March 21 Eugene listing.

Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton will be on the Democratic primary ballot as candidates for the party’s nomination, along with Mike Gravel.

The last day to register for the primary is April 29.

Ballots will be mailed to voters May 2, and the last day to vote is May 20.