OCTOBER 13, 2008
Obama Camp's Travel Seems a Factor In Recent Leads in Battleground States
The Democrats Have Appeared at 95 Events, While It's Just 55 for the Republicans
By LAURA MECKLER and EASHA ANAND
The Wall St. Journal
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In the five weeks since the fall campaign officially began, Sen. Obama, his wife, Michelle, and vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden have appeared at a total of 95 separate events in states that both sides are contesting. Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have appeared at 55 events in those areas, with Cindy McCain, the nominee's wife, adding only one more to the total, according to a Wall Street Journal tally based on schedules provided by the campaigns.
Stopping By Swing States The gap makes a difference in the amount of press that each ticket gets in critical markets -- and is mirrored by a similar disparity in TV advertising. Sen. Obama outspent Sen. McCain and the Republican National Committee on ads in 15 states for the week ended Oct. 4, according to the Wisconsin Advertising Project, an initiative at the University of Wisconsin. The Republicans spent more in just two states.
The effect: The Democrats are being seen much more often, in free news coverage and in paid advertising, in the states that will determine the winner. When Mrs. Obama visited the University of Colorado-Boulder last month, she didn't get much national attention. But her remarks were covered by the newspapers in Denver and Boulder and three Denver TV stations. "Michelle Obama is back in Colorado," reported Channel 9. It showed a clip of her to "humanize the credit crunch." "We just paid off our student loans, just several years ago, and that's only because Barack wrote two best-selling books," Mrs. Obama said. And a Biden swing through Ohio in mid-September often resulted in front-page coverage by the newspapers in Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and other cities.
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One factor in the travel gap is the McCain campaign's decision to keep Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin together for a series of rallies and town-hall meetings. They believe that together they are a powerful combination, and when she is with Sen. McCain, the crowds are often larger and more enthusiastic... Sen. Obama's own early debate preparation was done in states he hopes to win this fall -- Florida and North Carolina -- garnering him extra local press. This week, he is prepping in Toledo, Ohio, another swing state.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122383794476626615.html (subscription)