Local volunteers stump in 11th hour

On foot, by plane, by phone, parties pitch candidates

By Colby Sledge and Jennifer Brooks • THE TENNESSEAN
November 3, 2008

The marathon campaign season has come down to its final sprint, and Middle Tennesseans have already tightened their shoelaces.

Local volunteers are out in force; yard signs are in place; bumpers are stickered. The presidency of the United States is at stake this year and so is control of the Tennessee legislature.

A record number of Tennesseans have registered to vote, and more than 1.5 million have already cast their ballots.

Tennessee may not look like a battleground state to the rest of the country, but at ground level, the battle lines are very real.

"This has brought people out of the woodwork," said Len Assante, chairman of the Sumner County Democratic Party, who is busy organizing poll watchers and rides to the polls.

Elsewhere in Hendersonville, voters are snapping up McCain-Palin yard signs and bumper stickers as fast as the Sumner County Republicans can stock them.

"We've got a lot of people making calls for our candidates. I think the mood is pretty good around here," said volunteer Richard Russo.

As Democratic Party canvassers walk and drive throughout Middle Tennessee neighborhoods today, the Tennessee GOP is taking to the skies on the eve of the election — hitting eight cities in eight hours.

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith will be stumping from Knoxville to Memphis and points between with Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris and House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada.

Other states are targeted

Nashville Democrats hit the streets on Sunday, knocking on doors to drum up last-minute support for Barack Obama.

Volunteers Elaine Lawson and Mary McDowell were making the rounds on Second and Third avenues south near Chestnut Street on Sunday afternoon, asking residents to call friends to vote in exchange for Obama stickers.

"They've all been very nice, and we've been catching some Titans revelers," said Lawson, a retired Metro schoolteacher.

In what they deemed friendly territory, Lawson and McDowell met resident reactions ranging from refusals to open doors to front-porch screams of "Obama!" like those from Sonya Rodriguez.

"We've been Obama all the way with it," said Rodriguez, a South Chicago native. She asked Lawson and McDowell where to vote after moving from the Hadley Park area.

Local Democrats are also traveling to swing states like Indiana, where 90 volunteers headed on a bus Sunday morning. Dozens more were planted at the Nashville Obama headquarters on Saturday, calling voters in North Carolina.

Today's airborne GOP tour of the state will be assisted on the ground by College Republicans at Lipscomb University who will be handing out McCain-Palin signs for students to place in their dorm windows and lining up rides to the polls for students without vehicles.

"As far as official stuff goes, we've almost wrapped up everything," said Zack Blair, chairman of the Lipscomb College Republicans.

"If people don't have a way to get to their precincts or if they're not familiar with getting to the polls, we're going to do our best to give them a ride to get them out there."