The Ground Game

Sorry for the lack of posting as of late. I've been on the ground here in Ohio helping the McCain campaign and the congressional campaign of State Sen. Steve Stivers. Stivers is locked in a close contest with Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy for the 15th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Deborah Pryce.

In fact, I'm currently drafting this post from Stivers HQ and things are bustling. GOTV phone calls are in full force and some folks are getting ready to go knock on some doors here in a little bit. A big help to the Stivers campaign has been the influx of volunteers from 'Team Ohio'...a large group of former Ohioans who now live in DC and took some time off to come home and join the fight. They are circumventing the state in Winnebagos(no....seriously) and are stopping off to help however they can.

For those who have never volunteered on a campaign, it's always an experience. I've attached a pic to this post of Stivers HQ and that will give you an idea of how ridiculous things are with 8 days to go. Everyone is on the phones or in the field. The campaign office is a mess....and if it isn't you aren't doing something right.

McCain's office was doing reasonably well. It doesn't seem to have the same sense of aggressiveness as I felt helping W in '00 and '04, but they're smart and are doing everything they can to finish strong. Palin will be in Chillicothe, Ohio on Wednesday and McCain will be having a HUGE rally at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Friday with Schwarznegger. They need 25,000 to fill the place...so for you Ohioans, get off your butt and show your support.

So here we are. Eight days left. The polls are violently all over the place. And the GOP GOTV effort is as intense as ever.

One thing is for sure, if things don't go well for Republicans on Nov4, it won't be for lack of effort.