MADISON, Wis. — Dozens of men, women, children and dogs showed up early Monday morning outside the Madison Labor Temple, where labor-backed organizers sent them out in search of Democratic votes. Their goal was written in chalk on the sidewalk at their feet: “Barrett or Bust.”
If Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) can pull off a come-from-behind win in an election to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Tuesday, it will almost certainly be because of volunteers like these, whom Democrats are counting on to overcome being outspent by tens of millions.
Video
Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker will try to become the first governor to successfully overcome a recall in an election Tuesday. Walker is being challenged by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
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The long-awaited vote is viewed here as a referendum on Walker’s move to curtail public workers’ collective-bargaining rights and a harbinger of whether Republicans have a shot at winning Wisconsin this fall for the first time since 1984.
But the contest also will be an early test of a dynamic that both parties expect to play out in a dozen or so battleground states in November: the effectiveness of the Democrats’ ground organization against the expected advantage Republicans will have in fundraising and on TV.
The importance of on-the-ground organizing for President Obama’s reelection effort made clear Monday in a Web video released to supporters.
“You know what really matters in a really close election? The unprecedented grass-roots organizing we’re doing every day in states across the country,” campaign manager Jim Messina said at the outset of a three-minute video in which Wisconsin was listed as a toss-up state. “We’re following the strategy we’ve had from day one, and we can’t afford to lose focus on that.”
With Walker holding a more than 7-to-1 advantage in the money race — and with GOP-aligned outside groups far outspending their counterparts — Democrats maintain that their chance at victory depends on a far superior get-out-the-vote operation.
Kristen Crowell, executive director of We Are Wisconsin, said in an interview Monday that the labor-backed group is on target to knock on 1.4 million doors and make 1.5 million phone calls. She said the group has about 50,000 volunteers and has spent $2.8 million on its field operation in the past month.
“From day one, there’s been a strong, strong commitment to fund and prioritize the field campaign,” she said. “We’ve always recognized that it will come down to turnout and our ability to connect to voters at the door.”
Over the weekend, Barrett’s camp dispatched more than 10,000 volunteers, who knocked on about 948,000 doors and made nearly 890,000 phone calls. Spokesman Phillip Walzak said those numbers are expected to “more than double” by the time polls close Tuesday night.
Wisconsin officials are predicting a voter turnout of 60 percent to 65 percent — more than in the 2010 midterm election, when turnout was about 50 percent, but less than the 69 percent during the 2008 presidential vote.
According to the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity, candidates and independent groups have spent more than $63.5 million on the recall effort, making it the state’s most expensive election ever.
If Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) can pull off a come-from-behind win in an election to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Tuesday, it will almost certainly be because of volunteers like these, whom Democrats are counting on to overcome being outspent by tens of millions.
Video
Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker will try to become the first governor to successfully overcome a recall in an election Tuesday. Walker is being challenged by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
More from PostPolitics
Suzi Parker SHE THE PEOPLE | The “Sex and the City” star is holding a raffle to attract small-dollar donors.
Rachel Weiner THE FIX | Tomorrow’s recall election vote could be a split decision.
Glenn Kessler FACT CHECKER | A statistic he recently cited may be accurate, but his comment makes little sense.
The long-awaited vote is viewed here as a referendum on Walker’s move to curtail public workers’ collective-bargaining rights and a harbinger of whether Republicans have a shot at winning Wisconsin this fall for the first time since 1984.
But the contest also will be an early test of a dynamic that both parties expect to play out in a dozen or so battleground states in November: the effectiveness of the Democrats’ ground organization against the expected advantage Republicans will have in fundraising and on TV.
The importance of on-the-ground organizing for President Obama’s reelection effort made clear Monday in a Web video released to supporters.
“You know what really matters in a really close election? The unprecedented grass-roots organizing we’re doing every day in states across the country,” campaign manager Jim Messina said at the outset of a three-minute video in which Wisconsin was listed as a toss-up state. “We’re following the strategy we’ve had from day one, and we can’t afford to lose focus on that.”
With Walker holding a more than 7-to-1 advantage in the money race — and with GOP-aligned outside groups far outspending their counterparts — Democrats maintain that their chance at victory depends on a far superior get-out-the-vote operation.
Kristen Crowell, executive director of We Are Wisconsin, said in an interview Monday that the labor-backed group is on target to knock on 1.4 million doors and make 1.5 million phone calls. She said the group has about 50,000 volunteers and has spent $2.8 million on its field operation in the past month.
“From day one, there’s been a strong, strong commitment to fund and prioritize the field campaign,” she said. “We’ve always recognized that it will come down to turnout and our ability to connect to voters at the door.”
Over the weekend, Barrett’s camp dispatched more than 10,000 volunteers, who knocked on about 948,000 doors and made nearly 890,000 phone calls. Spokesman Phillip Walzak said those numbers are expected to “more than double” by the time polls close Tuesday night.
Wisconsin officials are predicting a voter turnout of 60 percent to 65 percent — more than in the 2010 midterm election, when turnout was about 50 percent, but less than the 69 percent during the 2008 presidential vote.
According to the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity, candidates and independent groups have spent more than $63.5 million on the recall effort, making it the state’s most expensive election ever.