Closing Arguments: Candidates Make Final Pitch
Presidential hopefuls attempt to woo voters in their last-ditch efforts.
Dec. 31, 2007 — -- Though presidential hopefuls have been campaigning for months, the race to the 2008 presidential election officially begins with the Iowa caucuses, which are only three days away.
While many potential ballot casters are preparing to usher in the new year, the candidates are putting up their last-ditch efforts to woo Hawkeye State residents.
"I think every candidate who wants to be president is desperately doing what ever they can to get that final margin in a race that can be decided by 200 votes," said ABC News political contributor Matthew Dowd on "Good Morning America" today.
A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has former first lady Hillary Clinton leading her Democratic rivals with 29 percent. But she can hardly be considered a sure thing, as Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards have 26 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
The tight race has Obama and Edwards fighting to retain and gain some of the undecided voters in Iowa, and Obama argues this is the time to hope.
"I think Barack Obama needs to win Iowa. He has to show Hillary is vulnerable," Dowd said.
Clinton, who visited nine towns across the state during the weekend, repeated the same message at each stop: It takes experience to make a change, and she's the candidate who can win.
"A lot of people are deciding what is the most important issue of all; who can be the president; who is ready on day one. I have taken the incoming fire for about 26 years, and much to their dismay I'm still standing," Clinton told supporters.
Dowd said former President Clinton has given the New York senator a boost on the campaign trail.
"I think her husband being president has provided her a great asset to a degree," he said. "In the end, people are going to vote on whether Hillary Clinton can be president or not."
Other Democratic candidates, like New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, have received much less press during the lead-up to the caucuses.
"You know, if you listen to national media, the pundits in New York, there are only two or three candidates, but we are going to show them. We are going to shock the world," Richardson said.
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