Michelle Obama urged more than 3,000 supporters at a Kansas City rally Wednesday to register, vote – and help elect her husband, Barack, as the next president.

"While we’re all cheering and excited, this isn’t going to be easy,” she said.  “Every hour, every minute, every second counts…We have a tough opponent.      “It is now on us…are we ready for change?"

Obama addressed the crowd under bright blue skies, standing before a huge American flag draped across 18th street near the American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (“I got the quick 30 second tour,” she said.  “It was amazing.")

The audience, which stretched from curb to curb for about three city blocks, applauded enthusiastically as Obama made the case for her husband’s candidacy.

"This is personal,” she said.  “You’re feeling it every day when you go to buy groceries and your paycheck isn’t going as far as it used to.

"Shouldn’t we have leaders who get it?  Barack Obama gets it."

"What she had to say was phenomenal,” said Helen Hurst, an Obama volunteer at the rally.  “It’s way past time for people to realize…we’ve got to take charge."

"Family, children, education,” said Michelle Hamilton.  “It was awesome."

For much of her 30-minute-plus speech Obama focused on family issues like health care, jobs, and education.

She did not refer directly to Republican Sen. John McCain, although she called her husband the “smartest candidate” in the race.

Obama’s visit, just hours after McCain left the area, suggested both campaigns believe energizing voters will be a critical part of winning the state in about a month.

A CNN poll released Wednesday showed the Illinois senator leading McCain by one point in Missouri, the first lead he’s had here in several weeks.

The gap is within the poll’s margin of error.

But getting that support to the polls will be a critical challenge for both campaigns, Obama and Obama’s supporters seemed to recognize.

"If we get a fraction of the (500,000) unregistered voters to vote, that will change the face of this election…in this state,” she said.

"To win Missouri is to win the White House,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a former Hillary Clinton supporter who spoke before Obama.  “We’ve got to win Missouri."

 While the temperatures were relatively cool, at least one member of the audience swooned and required medical attention.

Before the speech Obama met inside the museum complex  with community leaders, a campaign spokeswoman said.

Outside, the crowd clapped and swayed to a gospel choir, setting the stage for her speech.

After the rally, she attended a private fundraiser at 31st and Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City.