Valley Dems, GOP work to get out the vote

Published online on Monday, Oct. 20, 2008

The election is 15 days away, and Barack Obama supporters in Fresno are busy wooing voters -- in Colorado.

Forget California, said T.J. Cox, a regional field director for Obama who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. George Radanovich in 2006. He is confident -- and polls are showing -- that California is going "blue," in which case Obama would prevail here and the Golden State would cast its 55 electoral votes for the Illinois senator.

What matters are the half-dozen swing states that likely will determine the outcome on Nov. 4. So volunteers working the phones at Obama's Shaw Avenue office in Fresno are busy calling people in those states. First, it was Nevada, Cox said, and now it is Colorado.

But a few blocks east on Shaw, volunteers at the Fresno County Republican Party headquarters are following a very different strategy: focusing on local voters and planning a get-out-the-vote effort for Election Day.

While local Democrats are pouring all their efforts into the presidential campaign, Republicans are working to support both Republican presidential nominee John McCain and local candidates -- and ensure that the Valley's traditional Republican majority holds firm.

In addition, the local GOP is pushing hard for passage of Proposition 8, which would amend California's constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman.

On Friday, Republican volunteers were working the phones and preparing packets for a planned weekend walk of local voting precincts. A combination of precinct walking and working the phones was planned for Saturday.

Also planned: Putting supporters at major Fresno intersections to urge support for Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee.

"We could have the largest get-out-the-vote effort we've ever had," said Fred Vanderhoof, chairman of the Fresno County Republican Party.

The reason? Unlike local Democrats, Vanderhoof and his Republican volunteers aren't ready to cede the state to Obama.

"I'm glad to hear Obama people are calling Colorado," he said. "I don't think California can be counted out."

Vanderhoof thinks Prop. 8 is the Republican Party's secret weapon, and the GOP is making an all-out push to get voters in Los Angeles County out to the polls for McCain. Fresno County, he said, must do its part, too, to rally voters.

Workers at Obama's headquarters aren't completely ignoring local voters.

Today is the last day to register in time for the election, and both Obama supporters and the Republicans have been busy gathering new registrations.

Democrats have been very effective this year in closing a registration gap that favored Republicans by more than 23,500 voters in 2004.

As of Sept. 5, Democrats had closed that gap in Fresno County to about 6,000 voters. Joel Murillo, chairman of the the county Democratic Party, contended it is now about 2,000 voters. He is hopeful the Democrats can catch the Republicans in Fresno County by Election Day.

Party officials have identified voting precincts with a large number of Republicans with Spanish surnames and have targeted them to re-register as Democrats.

"It's been working very well in our favor," Murillo said.

But while the local Democratic Party works for the entire party ticket, for the local Obama organization it's all about Obama. So when someone walks into his headquarters, there's only Obama campaign material.

Cox said some independent and Republican supporters have volunteered to support the presidential candidate -- but not Democrats in general. For that reason, there are no signs or other campaign paraphernalia allowed for other Democratic Party candidates.

Local Republican Party officials, in the meantime, are working in concert with the McCain campaign, registering new voters, making sure they vote, and raising awareness not only for McCain, but for other Republicans seeking office, including Ashley Swearengin, the Fresno mayoral candidate who is registered with the GOP but is seeking a nonpartisan office.

Vanderhoof said the local Republican Party has targeted southern and western Fresno County -- areas covered by Fresno County supervisors Judy Case and Phil Larson -- for its get-out-the-vote efforts.

Part of this area is covered by the Assembly district where Republican Danny Gilmore, a retired highway patrolman from Hanford, is facing Democrat Fran Florez, a Shafter City Council member and former bank branch manager.

Democrat Nicole Parra currently holds the seat, and Republicans think they can steal it from the rival Democrats.

The party also is working hard on behalf of Swearengin, who is facing City Council Member Henry T. Perea, a registered Democrat.

"We've got all bases covered and a lot of people walking," Vanderhoof said.

And while they push for support of McCain and local candidates, they'll also be pushing for passage of Prop. 8.

Vanderhoof said supporters of the initiative are counting on the Central Valley -- with Fresno County at the lead -- to give it a needed boost to counter areas of the state where opposition will be strong.

"We're hoping to push Prop. 8 over the hump [in Fresno County] and get a [statewide] win," he said.