SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Please forgive me for harping on Arizona. It is my adopted home state, and having lived here or in New York for most of my life, I have never resided in a state that received much attention during a competitive presidential campaign.

So it is with great excitement that I read this item from Newsweek’s Richard Wolffe:

Obama’s senior aides are intrigued by several late polls that show a narrowing of the presidential contest in Arizona. Most recently, on Tuesday a Cronkite-Eight poll (named for Arizona State University’s journalism school and the local PBS channel) showed the state a statistical tie, with the Arizona senator just 2 points ahead of Obama. That poll suggests Arizona is too close to call, with Obama making significant gains among women and independents.

The campaign is now seriously examining a late surge into the state. That may include ramping up TV advertising, on-the-ground staff or even deploying the candidate to stop there. Obama is scheduled to make a Western swing late this week, making an Arizona visit possible.

In light of the polling data, I’ve had several conversations with my fellow Arizonans about the possibility of The Grand Canyon State turning blue next week. If the race has tightened as much as the polls are indicating, it’s not unthinkable that a high-profile stop by Sen. Barack Obama at, say, Arizona State University in Tempe with our  popular Gov. Janet Napolitano — which would likely draw tens of thousands of people — could provide a last minute boost that, in conjunction with a few days of heavy advertising, might be enough to put the Democrat over the top.

Logistically, it wouldn’t seem to be that difficult, especially if Obama plans to make a final visit to any of Arizona’s neighboring battleground states — Colorado, New Mexico or Nevada.

It would be quite a thing for Arizonans to stay up late to watch our own state’s returns come in on Election Night, for a change.