Obama's Efforts in NE-02 Attract National Attention
Oct 07, 09:37 PM CST
The LA Times has taken notice of the ‘unlikely battleground’ in Nebraska:
Obama… has expanded the competition to several states that Republicans usually count on, including Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Indiana and North Carolina. Obama even hopes to pick off an electoral vote here in Nebraska, a Republican stronghold that allows its five electoral votes to be split, awarding three of them by congressional district.
“It’s always tough for Democrats,” Steve Achelpohl, the Nebraska party chairman, conceded. “But given the general unhappiness with the state of the country, he’s got a decent chance. So why not try?”
Obama is targeting Omaha and its surrounding area, an urban patchwork in this mostly rural state, which has a growing young population and a number of black and Latino residents. The Illinois senator already has a running start, having advertised for months as a way to reach voters just across the river in Iowa.
Republicans scoff at the attempt. In 50 years of presidential elections, Nebraska is second only to Utah in support for the GOP ticket. (The state has voted 61.1% Republican to Utah’s 61.6%, according to the Almanac of American Politics.) All six statewide offices are held by Republicans, the GOP controls the unicameral Legislature, and all five members of Congress are Republican. The state has not sent a Democrat to the House in 16 years.
Washington Post profiled the efforts in Omaha on Monday:
With a month to go before Election Day, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, touched down here Sunday for an unexpected rally in a state that President Bush won by 22 percentage points in 2004.
In early September, even as it was shifting resources out of other traditionally Republican states to key electoral battlegrounds, Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign sent 15 paid staffers to Nebraska, a state that has backed a Democrat for president just once since 1936.
Despite Nebraska’s consistent preference for a Republican in the Oval Office, Obama and the national mood are forcing Sen. John McCain to focus more on the state’s biggest city and most urban congressional district.
Both camps have their eyes on the same reward: a single electoral vote that could prove pivotal in determining the next president.
There’s no doubt about it: our dedicated staff and volunteers with the Campaign for Change have put Omaha in play. That in itself is quite the accomplishment, but with your support we can emerge victorious in November.
– by Eric Van Horn | Send this to a friend
— Omaha Bob Oct 08, 08:31 PM CST #
— Paul Biler Oct 09, 06:51 AM CST #