'Ground War' Waged in Divided Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 18, 2004 — -- In the 2000 presidential election, Democratic candidate Al Gore won Clay County, Mo., by one vote out of 80,000 cast. The picturesque town of Liberty, the county seat, voted for George W. Bush.
Four years later, folks still seem pretty divided.
"We all get along pretty well, Democrats and Republicans," said Clay County election board chair Tina Tucker. "Of course, we get a little bit testy right up to the elections, but it's all over once the elections are gone. It's a nice place to live."
Given the surge of interest in the presidential race, the county has registered more than 3,000 new voters; there were only 800 in 2000. In Clay, as in many parts of the country, this year's effort to register and motivate voters has been unprecedented.
In the fairly quiet, largely good-natured community, the "ground war," as the professionals call it, leaves no stone unturned.
"We find out where they stand on the candidates," said Michael Sandbothe, a Kerry campaign canvasser. "We have a system of one through five. A one is a strong Kerry, and a five is a strong Bush. We try to go to doors that are a two or a three."
"It's house by house, street by street," said Bush campaign volunteer Mary Jilka. "We've probably knocked on definitely 100 doors."
"It's high-tech, high-touch. We use technology to identify voters to retain information and retain the high touch of the personal call, that personal canvassing from your neighbor," said Warren Erdman, co-chair of the Bush campaign for the state of Missouri.
Kerry's team is equally equipped and dedicated to the cause.
"You're it. You're the army," said Missouri Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell, who is backing Kerry. "You're what's going to make a difference. You can do it."
Bush has an edge in statewide polls at the moment, and Kerry has cut back on his advertising. The Bush campaign is still sending surrogates to the state, including Bush's uncle William "Bucky" Bush.
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