By Scott L. Miley, Herald Bulletin Special Projects Editor
ANDERSON — Local organizers of Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign focused on registering new voters, door-to-door efforts and a massive phone campaign Tuesday for a formidable showing by the Democratic presidential candidate, area supporters said.
In the last two presidential elections, Madison County voters went for Republican George Bush over Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.
But Tuesday, the presidential race in Madison County slightly favored Obama in Madison County. Excluding the still uncounted early-voting ballots, Obama was ahead, 22,763 to Sen. John McCain’s 22,459.
Statewide, McCain had an edge late Tuesday night with only 88 percent of the precincts reporting.
Besides local visits this year by Obama and his wife, Michelle, interest may have been sparked by a large network of local and vocal supporters.
Divided into teams, Obama’s supporters canvassed homes, checked poll tallies hourly and studied voting records from previous years.
“It got down to the nitty-gritty,” said volunteer Marilyn Goree, who coordinated efforts at the polls. “If there were lines still at the polling places, we had to go out and tell voters to stay in line and don’t get out of line.”
Obama’s visit to Indianapolis on Tuesday may also have helped, Goree said. During the visit, Obama went to a local United Auto Workers hall and called voters.
“He didn’t come there like I’m all that and I know I’m the president. He just pitched right in and started calling people on the phone,” said Goree.
Another volunteer, Karen Ledbetter, of Pendleton, worked at the “Obama Strategic Location Staging Area at 23rd and Dewey,” as she called it.
“We had to get everyone to knocking on doors, but a lot of that area had already voted early,” Ledbetter said.
“But it was very critical because we had a lot of packets where we had 100 or 200 people who didn’t vote in the 2004 election and that was our role; we were targeting people who hadn’t voted in the 2004 election,” Ledbetter said.
Where Obama’s campaign seemed to tug at the grassroots, the local effort for Sen. John McCain came from the top down.
The national campaign joined first with Gov. Mitch Daniels’ committee, noted Madison County Republican Central Committee Chairman Kevin Sulc.
“The focus was some door-to-door work but primarily was phone calls,” Sulc said. “Every independent and Republican and even moderately Democrat was called at least one time.”
But at the Madison County Democratic Party headquarters, an automated phone dialing system was used so Anderson-based callers could call people around Indiana right up until the 6 p.m. close of the polls.
Volunteer Anne Hull, who has voted as an Independent in the past, served as captain of the local phone banks.
Hull said, “I talked to a lady in Evansville at 20 till 6. She said, ‘I can’t go vote. I have four kids.’ I said, ‘Honey, take them with you.
“She knew where to go and she took them out and voted.”
Hull, resting at home by 7:30 p.m., said the Obama effort was “terrific.”
“I worked in the inner-city in the ’60s and early ’70s. I didn’t think I would ever live and vote in such a historic time. I can’t tell you how emotional it is,” Hull said.
Republicans, still optimistic at 9 p.m., were beginning to realize that McCain’s showing was not as strong as hoped.
At the Paramount Theatre Centre, U.S. Rep. Mike Pence watched results flash on a large screen with other Republicans. Though by 9 p.m., he was assured of re-election over his two challengers, he noted the challenges facing either McCain or Obama.
“I suspect the next president, whoever that may be, would be wise to govern from the middle and recognize that this country has large problems at home and abroad and deal with them in a bipartisan way,” Pence said.
