DENVER — When Carlene Carey was in college, she had a house mother who had been a Nelson Rockefeller delegate to the 1964 Republican Convention.

"She used to regale us with stories about the convention," said Carey, a history teacher at Pojoaque High School, in an interview Wednesday. "Ever since then, I've always dreamed of going to a convention myself."

Tonight, her dream will come true.

With the help of state Democratic Party chairman Brian Colón, Carey landed a coveted seat at Denver's Invesco Field for Barack Obama's acceptance speech.

Carey is one of the few "civilians" — nonparty regulars — to receive such a ticket. Colón declined to say Wednesday how many tickets he was able to secure for New Mexicans who aren't part of the delegation. All he would say was that he couldn't get as many as he wanted.

He said Carey was chosen because earlier in the year she had proposed a plan in which a group of high-school students from New Mexico would go to the speech. Because of deadlines and logistical problems, that plan fell through. But last week, when it looked like he had an extra seat to give away, he called the Pojoaque teacher.

Normally, convention speeches are attended by delegates, other party leaders, major cash contributors and working journalists. But Obama, taking a page from John F. Kennedy in 1960, decided to open it up for more people and hold his speech at an outdoor football stadium.

Invesco holds 80,000 people. This means there were about 60,000 seats for the public, about half of which were set aside for Colorado residents.

According to Reuters, all public seats were taken within 24 hours of availability, leaving a waiting list numbering in the tens of thousands.

Controversy has surrounded the way the party handled the Colorado public seats, according to the Rocky Mountain News. "Some of those hoping to wrangle a seat for Barack Obama's speech were told this week they have to put in six hours of volunteer work for his campaign by Friday to have a shot at a ticket. And that ruffled at least a few feathers," the paper reported this week.

According to news reports, the stage at the 50-yard line will resemble a miniature Greek temple.

Gov. Bill Richardson, who had been scheduled to speak Wednesday night at Pepsi Center, apparently was bumped from the schedule and has been rescheduled to speak tonight at Invesco Field before Obama's acceptance speech.

Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said Wednesday that the Obama campaign asked the governor to speak at today's event. Shipley didn't know the time of Richardson's speech. "It's prime time; that's all I know," he said.

Also warming up the crowd before Obama's speech will be 2000 Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Al Gore.

But Obama's speech is the main attraction — and it will be a critical moment for Obama, who currently is running neck and neck with GOP candidate John McCain in recent polls.

What does Obama have to do to win over the public — and New Mexico, which as always is a battleground state?

"Even though we know he can give a dazzling speech, he's got to pull it off one more time in this grander and broader national audience," said University of New Mexico political science professor Christine Sierra, who is attending the convention as a reporter for KNME-TV and KUNM radio. "So it's not a given. He's got to look not practiced and rehearsed. He's got to present himself in a way with a sort of freshness. I think that's important.

"He has to show in a bit more emotional terms who he is as a man and as a leader," Sierra said in an interview Wednesday. "And, as pundits say, he's got to appear presidential. That means different things to different people. ... I think tomorrow night he's got to appear ready to take the reins of leadership in the country. ... He's got to be a commanding presence but also appear approachable and accessible."

Another UNM political science professor attending the convention is Lonna Atkeson. "He's got to make an emotional connection," she said. "He's done that during the campaign, but a lot of people will be tuning in to him for the first time Thursday.

"He's got to focus on domestic stuff, issues like energy and the economy," she said. "McCain wants to make this campaign about foreign policy issues."

Obama will be stronger talking about domestic issues, she said, adding most people in New Mexico are more interested in pocketbook issues than foreign affairs.

State Auditor Hector Balderas, a superdelegate who initially supported Hillary Clinton, said Wednesday that if Obama wants to win New Mexico — and the country — he should focus on two major areas: the economy and public safety. "He has to be extra credible and specific in his vision," Balderas said.

State Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton of Albuquerque, a delegate and longtime Obama supporter, said Wednesday that Obama should stress his vision is the future. "Obama represents the future for our children," she said. "He should talk about his health plan and his economic plan and his other plans about quality of life."

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris, who ran for president in 1976, said Obama should keep doing what he's been doing in the campaign. "He's the most visionary leader I've seen in my lifetime," the 77-year-old Harris said. "He should show us that he's just like the rest of us, a good family man. Just like he's been doing."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.