U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is expected to arrive in Hawai'i on Friday with his family to begin a weeklong vacation before preparations for the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month.

Local Obama organizers are still discussing the details of a potential public appearance by the Hawai'i-born Democrat, but he is confirmed for a private fundraiser on Tuesday at the Kahala Resort.

Obama is expected to be traveling with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. His sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, live in the Islands.

Obama usually visits his family during the Christmas holidays but has not been back since December 2006 because of his campaign schedule.

Obama would be the first major party presidential nominee to visit the Islands during a campaign since Richard Nixon in 1960.