TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Local Presidential Campaigns Heat Up As State Race Gets Close

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Volunteer Leon Dierdorff prepares McCain and Palin yard signs at the Highlands County Republican Headquarters in Sebring. Co-Chair of the McCain Palin Committee Gil Santavenere said the public has picked up over 1,500 signs in the last 10 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: October 7, 2008

SEBRING - It's about four weeks to Nov. 4 but Blanca Macias of Avon Park doesn't know yet if John McCain or Barack Obama is going to get her vote.

"I'm tired of promises and promises and nothing happens," she said. "They said they were going to bring, I don't know how many, troops back and all this blah, blah, blah."

Macias knows her vote can make a difference and may be undecided about her choice of George W. Bush's successor but is clear about her most pressing issue.

"The economy is the number one priority right now," she said. "We need to do something to fix this fast. It's going to get worse before it gets better, I think."

With polls showing that the presidential race for Florida's 27 electoral votes is neck and neck and undecided voters like Macias aplenty, the local Republican and Democratic parties have stepped up their campaigning for the Nov. 4 presidential election.

Monday afternoon, the Highlands County Elections office had 28,604 registered Republicans and 26,144 registered Democrats. Those without a party affiliation, or the ones who could easily turn the tide either way, were at 8,536.

The total registered voters of 65, 712 had 2,428 voters registered with a minor party.

After running out of Obama signs two weeks ago and getting a new batch Friday, officials were busy Monday handing them out to supporters at the Highlands County Democratic Headquarters.

Next door, the Obama "Campaign for Change" regional field office opened about two weeks ago.

Volunteer field organizer Bart Jackson said Monday he had to "get out the door" to register as many voters as he could Monday, the last day for voters to register in time for the elections.

Obama campaign spokesman Bobby Gravitz of Palm Beach County said the Obama office in Sebring is a place for local volunteers to meet one another, get informed about the campaign, and campaign for the Obama-Biden ticket.

Highlands County Democratic Party Vice Chairman Joyce Whitman said a walking campaign will target registered Democrats this week. Campaigners will stop by residences to talk to folks and pass out materials such as sample ballots.

"If the people aren't home, we will just leave the material for them, which will hopefully help them out before they go to the polls, especially with the amendments," she said

Both the Republicans and Democrats say they are working the phones to get the vote out.

The Highlands County Republican Party is headquartered on South Commerce Avenue, Sebring. The McCain campaign is also running from the office.

Highlands County Chairman of the McCain/Palin presidential campaign Marvin Kahn said Monday the McCain election committee meets weekly to discuss strategies.

This past weekend they didn't have to go far from their headquarters to man a booth on Center Street during the Run to the Heartland motorcycle event.

"We had literature pertinent to the bike riders," Kahn said "We passed out Bike Riders for McCain literature."

Gil Santavenere, co-chair of the Highlands County McCain campaign said "it was excellent for us, we even registered some voters."

Santavenere switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican a little more than a year ago.

"In 2000, even as a Democrat, I wanted John McCain as president," he said. "So I was disappointed when Bush won the primary against John McCain."

To target motorists on U.S. 27, a McCain billboard is being readied on the highway south of the Turner Furniture store.

"Locally we have invested, of our own funds, more than $10,000 to promote the McCain/Palin ticket," Santavenere said. "So we have requested donations from everyone who has wanted yard signs or buttons or bumper stickers to help defer the expenses that we've had."

Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT