SNEAK PEEK: Rudy Courts NASCAR Dads

November 16, 2007— -- The Thanksgiving holiday travel season begins this weekend and domestic airlines expect 27 million passengers to fly over the next 12 days.

Add to that number the presidential candidates who hit the campaign trail to squeeze out as many retail politics stops, town hall meetings and media availabilities as they can before voters in the early primary states and across the country tune them out for a few days of turkey, high school football, and shopping.

The bulk of the media attention this week focused on the Democratic candidates and their debate in Las Vegas but today it was push-polling in the Republican race that made headlines.

On Sunday, residents in New Hampshire and Iowa began receiving 20-minute phone calls slamming Mitt Romney, his Mormon faith and the Vietnam War-era military deferments he received while serving as a missionary in France, ABC News' Matt Stuart reports.

Friday Mitt Romney responded to reports of anti-Romney phone calls in New Hampshire and Iowa Friday, calling the attacks against him and his Mormon faith "un-American," Stuart reports.

"Asked about the calls by reporters after an event in Las Vegas, NV, Romney said he was 'very disappointed in the political process that someone is pursuing to use this kind of underhanded, un-American technique.'"

John McCain condemned the calls and said he has asked the New Hampshire Attorney General to look into it. Stuart notes that while Romney would not speculate on who was actually behind the attacks, he did go after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation, saying "the bill leaves an enormous, gaping loop hole," and "opens the pathway for this very kind of political technique."

On Sunday Rudy Giuliani looks to appeal to that once uber-trendy voting block of NASCAR dads with a stop at the Ford 400 NASCAR NEXTEL cup finale in Homestead, FL.

Per ABC News' Gary Langer, the latest group du jour that's said to hold the keys to the next election is single women "supposedly prowling around for the perfect candidate like a political alter-ego of Carrie Bradshaw on 'Sex and the City.'"

Edwards leaves the campaign trail briefly Friday to join striking writers on the picket lines in Burbank, California, ABC News' Raelyn Johnson reports. He is the first candidate to visit the union workers who have been on strike since Nov. 5.

"I'll be there to walk with them because this is an example why when a product is being produced and that product is creating a significant amount of revenue then we have to be fair to the workers and the creative forces that are producing," Edwards told ABC News before leaving Las Vegas to fly to California.

Edwards and Hillary Clinton discuss their plans to address global climate change and energy issues Saturday at the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy, sponsored by Grist in partnership with the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund at Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Clinton is scheduled to speak at 6:00 pm ET and Edwards is up next at 6:30 pm ET

On the campaign trail…

Saturday November 17, 2007

RUDY GIULIANI

--No public schedule

MITT ROMNEY

--3:30 pm ET: Holds an economic town hall meeting, Henderson, NV

--5:00 pm ET: Meets with Las Vegas volunteers, Las Vegas, NV

--7:45 pm ET: Holds media availability, Reno, NV

--8:00 pm ET: Meets with Reno Volunteers, Reno, NV

ANN ROMNEY

--12:00 pm ET: Speaks at the Republican Women's Club of Seminole County Luncheon, Lake Mary, FL

--1:30 pm ET: Attends a phone drive with supporters, Winter Park, FL

--8:00 pm ET: Attends the Christian Family Coalition 2007 Gala, Miami, FL

JOHN MCCAIN

--8:25 am ET: Holds meet and greet at Howard's Restaurant, Colebrook, NH

--9:30 am ET: Holds press conference, Canaan, VT

--11:25 am ET: Holds meet and greet , Lancaster, NH

--12:25 pm ET: Holds meet and greet, Littleton, NH

--1:30 pm ET: Holds town hall meeting, North Haverhill, NH

--6:30 pm ET: Holds town hall meeting at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

--7:50 pm ET: Holds media availability at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

FRED THOMPSON

--Attends coffee fundraiser, West Palm Beach, FL (closed press)

MIKE HUCKABEE

--No public schedule

RON PAUL

--11:00 am ET: Participates in event at Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA

--12:30 pm ET: Attends tailgate party and rally at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

TOM TANCREDO

--9:00 am ET: Holds meet and greet, Berlin, NH

--12:30 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting, Colebrook, NH

--7:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting, Warner, NH

DUNCAN HUNTER

--No public events scheduled

As for the Democrats…

HILLARY CLINTON

--12:30 pm ET: Tours SMWIA Apprenticeship Facility, Las Vegas, NV

--1:00 pm ET: Addresses SMART event, Las Vegas, NV

--3:00 pm ET: Attends campaign rally, Las Vegas , NV

--6:00 pm ET: Participates in the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy, Los Angeles, CA

BARACK OBAMA

-- Houston, TX

--7:00 pm ET: Holds a campaign fundraiser, Austin, TX

JOHN EDWARDS

--6:30 pm ET: Participates in the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy, Los Angeles, CA

ELIZABETH EDWARDS

--12:30 pm ET: Addresses the New Hampshire DP Fall conference, Manchester, NH

--1:30 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting, Hollis, NH

--2:45 pm ET: Holds media availability, Manchester, NH

--3:45 pm ET: Attends house party, Francestown, NH

--5:00 pm ET: Holds media availability

JOE BIDEN

--No public schedule

CHRIS DODD

--1:00 pm ET: Attends house party , Iowa City, IA

--3:00 pm ET: Attends house party, Fairfield, IA

--3:30 pm ET: Attends house party, Marshalltown, IA

--4:30 pm ET: Attends house party, Carroll, IA

--5:00 pm ET: Attends house party, Dubuque, IA

--7:30 pm ET: Attends house party with Congressman Tim Ryan, Sioux City, IA

JACKIE DODD

--1:00 pm ET: Attends Waverly house party, Waverly, IA

--3:30 pm ET: Attends Oelwein house party, Oelwein, IA

--6:30 pm ET: Attends Decorah house party, Decorah, IA

BILL RICHARDSON

--Spends all day in Iowa

DENNIS KUCINICH

--5:30 pm ET: Participates in the LCV Global Warming Forum, Los Angeles, CA

MIKE GRAVEL

--In Los Angles, CA

Sunday November 18, 2007

RUDY GIULIANI

--12:00 pm ET: Attends the Ford 400 NASCAR NEXTEL cup finale, Homestead, FL

MITT ROMNEY

--2:30 pm ET: Meets with voters, Gillette, WY

--4:30 pm ET: Holds an economic meet and greet, Riverton, WY

--7:15 pm ET: Meets with voters, Cheyenne, WY

--8:15 pm ET: Holds a media availability, Cheyenne, WY

ANN ROMNEY

--1:30 pm ET: Attends a grass roots meet and greet, Cooper City, FL

JOHN MCCAIN

--11:25 am ET: Holds meet and greet at Jack' restaurant, New London, NH

--12:00 pm ET: Holds town hall meeting, New London, NH

--1:15 pm ET: Holds media availability, New London, NH

--1:45 pm ET: Holds meet and greet, Hillsborough, NH

--6:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting, Rindge, NH

--7:20 pm ET: Holds media availability, Rindge, NH

FRED THOMPSON

--Pre-taped interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" airs

As for the Democrats…

HILLARY CLINTON

--No public events scheduled

BARACK OBAMA

--12:30 pm ET: Attends the Linn County town hall, Marion, IA

--3:30 pm ET: Speaks at a fundraiser with Congressman Bruce Braley, Cedar Falls, IA

--6:45 pm ET: Attends Grundy County meet and greet, Grundy Center, IA

--9:00 pm ET: Attends Butler County meet and greet, Allison, IA

JOHN EDWARDS

--4:00 pm ET: Holds town hall meeting followed by media availability, Reno, NV

ELIZABETH EDWARDS

--11:45 am ET: Attends town all meeting, Ossipee, NH

--1:10 pm ET: Holds media availability

--2:15 pm ET: Attends Strafford town hall, Strafford, NH

--3:40 pm ET: Holds media availability, Strafford, NH

--5:00 pm ET: Attends the Hampton house party, Hampton, NH

--6:25 pm ET: Holds media availability, Hampton, NH

JOE BIDEN

--4:30 pm ET: Attends the women for Biden kick-off, Des Moines, IA

CHRIS and JACKIE DODD

--7:00 pm ET: Attend a house party, West Des Moines, IA

BILL RICHARDSON

--No public events

DENNIS KUCINICH

--10:00 am ET: Speaks at School of the Americas Watch Vigil, Fort Benning, GA

--8:00 pm ET: Participates in the Ani DiFranco Concert, New York, NY

Monday November 19, 2007

RUDY GIULIANI

--No public events scheduled

MITT ROMNEY

--No public events scheduled

ANN ROMNEY

--10:00 am ET: Attends a grass roots meet and greet, Jacksonville, FL

--5:45 pm ET: Attends a phone drive with supporters, Tampa, FL

JOHN MCCAIN

--11:45 am ET: Addresses the Nashua Rotary Club, Nashua, NH

--2:30 pm ET: Holds press conference at Boston Logan Airport, MA

--4:15 pm ET: Attends an event at the Esperanza, Philadelphia, PA

--6:35 pm ET: Attends fundraiser, Philadelphia, PA (closed press)

--7:30 pm ET: Holds media availability, Philadelphia, PA

--7:45 pm ET: Attends University of Pennsylvania College Republican town hall, Philadelphia, PA

FRED THOMPSON

--Attends state leadership rollout and a tribute dinner to a local state leader, Jackson, MS

MIKE HUCKABEE

--No public events scheduled

RON PAUL

--3:00 pm ET: Holds meet and greet, Las Vegas, NV

--6:00 pm ET: Holds rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

--10:00 pm ET: Attends event hosted by Nye County Republican Party and the Pahrump Valley Republican Women, Pahrump, NV

TOM TANCREDO

--7:00 pm ET: Attends fundraiser reception, Heathridge, TX

DUNCAN HUNTER

--No public events scheduled

As for the Democrats…

HILLARY CLINTON

-- 11:45 am ET: Attends campaign rally, Knoxville, IA

--2:30 pm ET: Attends "School House to the White House" Initiative, Waterloo, IA

--5:45 pm ET: Attends campaign event, Vinton, IA

--8:00 pm ET: Attends campaign event, Tama, IA

BARACK OBAMA

--10:00am ET: Attends Wright County meet and greet, Clarion, IA

--1:15 pm ET: Attends Webster County town hall meeting, Dodge, IA

JOHN EDWARDS

--1:00 pm ET: Attends community meeting, Davenport, IA

--6:00 pm ET: Holds community meeting, Iowa city, IA

--8:30 pm ET: Attends community meeting, Cedar Rapids, IA

JOE BIDEN

--No public events scheduled

CHRIS DODD

--12:30 pm ET: Participates in the "Cookies and Candidate Forum" at Drake University, Des Moines, IA

--7:45 pm ET: Attends Veterans community forum, Sioux City, IA

BILL RICHARDSON

--1:30 pm ET: Participates in Presidential Candidate Forum live web cast organized by the Federation of American Hospitals and Families USA, Washington DC

DENNIS KUCINICH

--7:00 pm ET: Attends fundraiser, Hastings on Hudson, NY

MIKE GRAVEL

--No public events scheduled

At the White House…

PRESIDENT BUSH

--12:40 pm ET: Speaks on Thanksgiving, Charles City, VA

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH

--9:30 am ET: Participates in the debut of the new Dolley Madison coin, part of the Mint's First Spouse Gold Coin program.

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