GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin plans a campaign stop in Greenville on Tuesday as she tries to buoy her party's ticket in a state that Democrats hope to capture for the first time in three decades.

Palin will hold an evening rally at Minges Coliseum on the East Carolina University campus. It's the first major North Carolina campaign event for the Republican ticket in months. GOP presidential nominee John McCain last visited the state during the primary on May 6.

Palin's appearance underscores Republican fears that Democratic nominee Barack Obama is close to capturing the state that has backed GOP presidential candidates for decades. Obama has been campaigning aggressively in the state, with hundreds of campaign staffers on the ground and a constant flow of television ads on the air.

Obama has also repeatedly dispatched himself and his surrogates to North Carolina, a state with a large bloc of black and young voters eager to back his candidacy. The work has appeared to help: polls indicate the race is too close to call.

McCain has started to increase his presence in North Carolina with television ads and campaign staff. His political aides announced two weeks ago that he planned to increase the number of paid staff from 20 to 30. Obama's campaign claims close to 400 workers.

Jimmy Carter was the last Democrat to win North Carolina as a presidential candidate -- a feat he accomplished in 1976. North Carolina carries 15 electoral votes.