Posted on 08/03/2006 7:33:05 AM PDT by SmithL
NASHVILLE - While much attention and money have been focused on air attacks in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, the outcome of today's election could hinge on a much quieter "ground war."
Collectively, the campaigns of Ed Bryant, Bob Corker and Van Hilleary have made close to 2 million phone calls to voters, based on figures provided by spokesmen for the three candidates.
Each candidate has also had hundreds of volunteers knocking on thousands of doors at voter homes, making a personal pitch for votes when someone answers and leaving behind a flier when no one is at home.
The campaigns have sent out piles of mail to voters through the postal system, though perhaps less than in past elections as candidates rely more on e-mail and Web sites.
Bryant's campaign has not sent any direct mail advertising in the current campaign, said spokesman Andrew Shulman, though supporters working through the campaign have sent about 15,000 personalized postcards to friends.
On the other hand, Bryant's campaign has bombarded those on its e-mail list with messages - sometimes three or four per day, including a "fraud watch" criticism of Corker that reached its 168th day on Wednesday. The other two campaigns appear to have been only slightly less active in Internet campaigning.
Corker has sent out nine direct mail advertising pieces, according to campaign manager Ben Mitchell. Hilleary sent out just two, said his campaign manager, Jennifer Coxe.
The campaigns try to target their phone calls, mailings and e-mail messages - ignoring people whose voting records show they regularly participate in Democratic primaries, for example, and crossing people off their lists once their names show up on election commission reports of people who voted early.
"For a year now, we have been quietly working to develop this race on the ground," said Coxe, adding that Hilleary already had a voter contact database from his 2002 gubernatorial campaign. "We didn't have to create it from scratch. We just had to reactivate it."
Corker, who started campaigning earlier than his competitors, says he has created "the largest grassroots campaign in our state's history." Not surprisingly, the Hilleary and Bryant campaigns contend they have nonetheless outdone Corker.
"We've got the strongest grassroots movement and they're all energized," said Shulman of Bryant's campaign. "We've made the calls, knocked on the doors and they're all going to come out in force on election day."
The following is a comparison of the candidates in some other ground campaign categories, using information from the individual campaigns.
Corker has had more than 21,000 volunteer personal calls made and professional calling would push the total past 500,000.
Hilleary's campaign says supporters have made 300,000 personal calls with paid calling pushing the total to about 700,000.
In all cases, the figures include followup calls to the same voter - sometimes two or three.
Yard signs: Corker 16,000; Bryant 15,000; Hilleary 1,000.
Off to vote for Bryant!!!!!
I wish him well. How do you think it looks for Bryant?
Just got back from voting. Keeping fingers crossed for Bryant....
In the Primary, anyone other than Corker will be a pleasant surprise.
Come November, anyone other than Ford will be an absolute necessity.
U.S. Senate Republican primary Corker Bryant Hilleary Harrison 24708 12150 6893 338 (25 of 2432 precincts reporting)
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