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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (28117)	2/6/2004 12:22:47 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793845

Va. Primary's Rarity Adds To Challenge For Democrats By Lisa Rein Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, February 6, 2004; Page B01 After 16 years on the sidelines, Local 2068 of the International Association of Firefighters is back in presidential politics. The folding tables were upright Tuesday night in the union office in Fairfax City, seven volunteers seated around them dialing for Democrat John F. Kerry. "Hello ma'am, I'm calling to ask you to consider voting for Senator Kerry," Michael Layne, a technology worker from Annandale, spoke into the phone in a deep baritone, a Diet Coke at his feet. "I believe he's the best candidate to lead our country and defeat President B--. What's that? Oh yes, there is a primary in Virginia! It's Feb. 10. Actually, I'm not sure where you would be voting. . ." As they dial for Democrats to get out the vote in the party's second presidential primary in Virginia history, the candidates' grass-roots organizations are adjusting to some peculiar realities of politicking in the Old Dominion. Tuesday's contest is a rare one for Virginia Democrats. The state's only other Democratic presidential primary was in 1988. Virginia does not register voters by party, and anyone registered can participate. The state will be the ninth to host an open primary or caucus this year. Maryland, by contrast, will allow only registered Democrats to vote in its primary March 2. Throw in Virginia's relatively early spot in the primary schedule, and the campaigns' task of finding voters for their candidates appears quite daunting. "Please just give me a good voter ID list -- it would make my life a lot easier!" said Eileen Manning, a Fairfax County activist who is working for Kerry (Mass.). Virginia may have an election every year. But the last statewide Democratic primary was in 2001, with contested races for attorney general and lieutenant governor. Democrats had waited six years for that primary, since Charles S. Robb beat Virgil H. Goode Jr. and two lesser-known challengers for the nomination for U.S. senator. The state's sparse history of primaries makes it that much harder for Democrats to figure out whom to target with phone banks and door knocking to get out the vote on Tuesday. In a state with large pockets of transient residents, much of the data on these voters is outdated by the time it reaches the campaigns. "Maybe one in 10 people on some of our lists will translate into a primary voter," Manning said. The campaigns' starting point is a list of about 161,000 people across the state who cast ballots in 2001. Democratic committees have updated the list with tens of thousands of new names culled from local races such as last May's three-way primary for supervisor in Fairfax's Providence District. Fewer than 1,500 voters showed up for that contest, though. The campaigns also are relying heavily on enlisting the aid of state and local officials -- from senators down the line to school board members -- who can round up their own supporters on behalf of the presidential candidate. "The key is not just to find names on a list, but people who can help organize for us," said Patrick Dillon, the Virginia campaign spokesman for Sen. John Edwards (N.C.). "The county party chairs know where to find the Democrats on the ground." Each of the major candidates sent representatives last night to the monthly meeting of the Fairfax Democratic Committee to press for votes. No matter who wins Virginia on Tuesday, the primary will be a boon to state Democrats, who will get reams of data on their voters to use in future campaigns. "This is a unique opportunity for us to identify voters and turn them into Virginia Democrats," said Kerry J. Donley, the new chairman of the state party and former mayor of Alexandria. The state will elect a new governor next year. Volunteers for Edwards started the hunt for primary voters early last summer by attending every meeting of county Democrats they could find from Arlington to Prince William. They sought endorsements from school board members. But even as the primaries of the last two weeks drew voters' attention to the presidential campaign, "a lot of people still don't know there is a primary" in Virginia, said Peter Rousselot, a retired lawyer in the Edwards camp. The campaigns acknowledge that their efforts must reach beyond party activists. But time is short. Virginia's window of exposure to the candidates is just a few days, far shorter than Iowa's or New Hampshire's was. Supporters for retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark are holding "postcard parties," at which they write personal notes to friends to ask for their votes. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, while planning a limited effort in Virginia, has relied on the Internet to augment voter lists, said former lieutenant governor Donald S. Beyer Jr., who is running Dean's campaign in the state. © 2004 The Washington Post Company