Obama has kept up a frenzied pace of campaigning nationwide as he tries to invigorate the Democratic base, fearing the voters who swept him into the White House two years ago will not participate in this election without him on the ballot. Obama would not face voters again until 2012.
This year’s election — with Republicans, their tea party allies and many independents angry and blaming Obama for the country’s continuing economic malaise — will decide contests for all 435 seats in the House, 27 places in the 100-member Senate and 37 state governorships.
With a takeover in the House virtually assured, Republicans also are forecast to make significant gains in the Senate but fall short of capturing a 51 seat majority.
Their prospects are even better in the governor’s races.
With the 50 states preparing to draw new congressional district maps after this year’s national census, Republican governors will have a major say in that process — one that’s would strongly favor Republican candidates in 2012.
That reality is guiding many of Obama’s appearances in the final days of the Nov. 2 election campaign and is especially evident in Ohio.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton will be in the Midwestern state this weekend trying to save the candidacy of Gov. Ted Strickland and as many as six House seats in Tuesday’s elections. The impact would extend beyond this year, affecting redistricting and support Obama would need from the battleground state for his re-election bid.
Strickland handily won the governorship by more than 23 percentage points in 2006 but now finds himself struggling to remain in the job against former Republican Rep. John Kasich.
Obama is scheduled Sunday to hold his last rally before Election Day in Cleveland, where he’ll be joined by Biden — no stranger on Strickland’s campaign trail. Clinton also planned to make three stops with the incumbent governor on Saturday.
Obama will have been in the White House and off the campaign circuit three days this week, but he’s using part of that time to target key Democratic constituencies, holding conference calls with union activists and campaign volunteers, and doing interviews with radio stations that draw largely black audiences. He’ll also target younger voters when he tapes an appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on Wednesday. The satirical news program is a major source of information about current events for many young people.
The president will wrap up the week with a final campaign swing through five states where Democratic candidates are locked in tight contests.
It’s a homestretch strategy based on how the White House believes the president can be most effective in an election in which his name is not on the ballot but his agenda is up for debate. According to a recent Associated Press-GfK poll, nearly half of likely voters say their votes for the House are intended to send a message about Obama.
White House officials say that while they still see value in the large rallies Obama has been holding across the country this month — he’ll headline three more this weekend — they also recognize that with just six days until the election, many voters have already made up their minds.
“You’ve identified who your voters are,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, adding that now is the time to get those voters motivated to show up on Election Day.
Obama held a conference call with thousands of union activists Tuesday night to thank them for all the hours they’ve spent knocking on doors and working phone banks to boost voter turnout for Democratic candidates.
Union officials said Obama was acknowledging the critical role that organized labor’s get-out-the-vote machine will play in helping Democrats hold onto as many congressional seats as possible.
Obama will hold a similar call Wednesday with volunteers for Organizing for America, the network that grew out of his presidential campaign, to encourage them in their final get-out-the-vote efforts.
