Johansson in town tonight for Obama

By C.J., Star Tribune

Last update: February 4, 2008 - 2:08 PM

State Rep. John Lesch was just a tad breathless about Scarlett Johansson stumping for the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama in just a few hours.

Johansson (one of the many former love interests of Josh Hartnett) and Kal Penn ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," FOX's "House") are scheduled to be at St. Paul's Sweeney's Saloon & Cafe at 7 tonight.

The Minnesota Young Progressive Majority was planning to do caucus training at Sweeney's "but now it's kind of changed," said Lesch, who said he's active with the group that aims "to increase by 7 percent the voter turnout of voters between the ages of 18 and 35 in the 2008 election. They are historically the lowest voting group."

Lesch wasn't making a lot of sense when I got him on the phone Monday, so I asked if he was, perchance, excited about seeing Johansson.

"I am very excited," said Lesch. "You don't get people like this to incite caucus turnout among young people very often. That's the name of the game for young progressive majority to make sure that we tap in to people who wouldn't otherwise be engaged in a political process. When you say you've got Scarlett Johansson and Kal Penn, they show up. It was going to be just a caucus training and then they're going to show up so it's going to be a little more."

I'm assumed that Hartnett hooked up Johansson with the Minnesota event but that may be wrong. "It was all done through the campaign so I didn't get a verification on that, but I could certainly find out [from the] caucus director of the Obama campaign. So I can get back to you."

Still waiting.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.

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