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Democrats Hope High Voter Turnout Will Boost Odds in Some Races

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While most polls spell doom and gloom for Democrats Tuesday, the party believes it still has one glimmer of hope for hanging onto seats in tight races: high voter turnout.

A senior Democratic official tells The New York Times that while Republicans have mostly poured their money into advertising, Democrats in a number of states have focused on funding and organizing get-out-the vote efforts.

In Colorado, for example, volunteers will have knocked on 670,000 doors and made more than a million phone calls in the final four days of the campaign. The goal: to alert voters that Democratic candidates still have a chance, despite polls that might say otherwise.

Democrats have rallied the troops in a handful of other key states. According to the Times:

NEVADA: Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, is relying on an aggressive, established ground game to defeat Republican Sharron Angle. His campaign will have 1,025 election day volunteers. On Saturday and Sunday, his campaign supporters made more than 64,000 calls and knocked on more than 62,000 doors.

ILLINOIS: To keep President Obama's old Senate seat in Democratic hands, Democrats have recruited more than 20,000 volunteers for get-out-the-vote shifts, operating out of 191 staging locations. In the last days of the campaign for Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, supporters are aiming to knock on 950,000 doors.

And in Washington, supporters of Sen. Patty Murray are volunteering to knock on 150,000 doors and staff nearly 100 phone bank locations in the last hours before the election.

Filed Under: Voting, 2010 Elections

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12 Comments

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lerwilhelm

actually dems holding senate is the best thing for Republicans, if things don't improve the dems and the senate and the president have to assume some responsiblity. But if congress goes rep, it means there will not be a rubber stamp for the dems, checks and balances come into play.

November 02 2010 at 1:06 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
ezek37

I must admit I do hope the dems stay home and smoke their pot.

November 02 2010 at 1:03 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Glenn Kromminga

Democrats bailed out Wall Street, Big Banks & Big Business. They then screwed Seniors and Main Street. Why should they be voted back into office? Neither Democrats nor Republicans can win without Independents, so they need to get used to the new reality. Independents flexing their muscle.

November 02 2010 at 7:09 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
angiebarnes919

Please Reps don't party too soon, Dems have been quiet, but most of them are paying attention, listening, and very loyal how do I know my sister is a Dems and she is voting Dems, she will be taking her friends about 8 of them w/her. So hold off on the party punch and cake, I am a independent but this time around I voted for Dems. The Reps and Tea Party scare me. Who are the Reps and what have the Tea Party Nuts done with them???? Not all Independents will vote Reps.

November 01 2010 at 9:45 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
icdou007

Polls don't lie Democrats the proof is in the pudding.

November 01 2010 at 9:24 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
icdou007

It is nice to have a dream, no matter what happen, the Rep. will gain some because of the state of things, so even wit that they are on the move.

November 01 2010 at 9:23 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
Pweggy Sue Lara

it looks like that a victories have been claimed and we are celebrating and we havent went to the polls to vote lets vote and then see who will be celebrating give the voters a chance to decide this is important time for our country go vote tommorow and let the people decide peggy sue lara

November 01 2010 at 8:38 PM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Pweggy Sue Lara's comment
icdou007

Oh they already have Peggy.

November 01 2010 at 9:23 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
Michael

Voters might need to be "high" to pull the Democrat lever given the performance of the congress since January 2007. Attempts to borrow our way out of debt have been no more successful than the plan to spend our way to thrift. No jobs, no hope, foreclosures in abundance, wealth evaporating for all but the Democrats' Goldman Sachs and Soros sponsors. The poor and the middle classes face only bleak circumstances and dependency. I hope the recent performance of Democrats earns them thirty years out of power.

November 01 2010 at 8:37 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Michael's comment
anita

Michael, perhaps you did not pay much attention to what has been going on for the past two years. The stimulus likely DID save our Nation from going into a true depression. And, we, the government has received much of the money loaned to the banks back, with interest! There have been new jobs created. If they are not enough for you, just try to imagine many more jobs, homes, businesses lost had the government not borrowed funds and passed the stimulus. Many times, in the past two years, they tried to pass additional laws to help our Nation to recover, only to be blocked by the NO, NO, NO, a thousand times NO Republicans. Those same Republicans who's leaders set their priority as not jobs, reducing the national debt, but as having Obama being a one term president. We need to elect people not to represent and help the middle class, but to stop one man's re-election? We should elect the party who's plans created this mess? GOD BLESS AMERICA!

November 01 2010 at 8:56 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
notanaxkiller

The jon stewart rally drew 1/4 of a million according to a canadian [nonpartisan] count. Looks like there are plenty of democrats ready to vote.

November 01 2010 at 8:33 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
dc walker

There are Democrats out there who also did not like to see the bribes, lies and corruption. They either care about their party or their country. They, like conservatives, need to send a message.

November 01 2010 at 7:53 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to dc walker's comment
anita

Cutie, you are corrct that power does bring out the greed in elected officials of all parties. But, we need to elect someone, so we must vote for the lesser of two evils. Generally, the Democrats look out for the middle class, while the Republicans look out for the rich and big business. We do not need more of the same old tax breaks for the rich and deregulation that nearly ruined our Nation. These practices have proven only to make the rich richer, it does not help the working class. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

November 01 2010 at 8:05 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
wolfsonnydiane

what message would that be more deficet spending more tax cuts that fail to create jobs more deregulation that helps ship our jobs overseas makes our work places less safe our food less safe our automobiles less safe ya your all far thast arent you

November 02 2010 at 1:08 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply

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