D.C. non-binding primary
The New York Times reports on campaigning in the District of Columbia leading up to January 13th's non-binding primary:
Danny Glover's voice purred on answering machines, urging people to turn out for Representative Dennis J. Kucinich. Rock bands thumped out chords for Howard Dean. The Rev. Al Sharpton quipped and bellowed for votes.
It felt as if primary season had arrived in Washington this weekend, a bit earlier than usual. And it had, sort of.
The Washington Post reports:
Several hundred people rallied for Dean at a downtown church Saturday, including Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. And the Dean campaign sent out 30,000 fliers, half of them paid for by the D.C. Democracy Fund, a voting rights group, highlighting the endorsements Dean has received from eight D.C. Council members. The Kucinich campaign is making 68,000 automated telephone calls to voters, featuring an endorsement from actor Danny Glover.
Dean workers joined Kucinich volunteers in leafletting for their candidates at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. Heymann, who noted that his candidate, Kucinich, has promised to introduce legislation in the House for D.C. statehood, said that though many voters were unaware of the primary, it has focused the presidential candidates and the news media on the District's lack of voting representation in Congress.
"If the primary was still in May, I don't believe they would be paying that much attention to it," Heymann said.
Sharpton launched a media campaign last week, buying $50,000 in radio spots on a half-dozen Washington area stations.
The D.C. primary is an interesting contest, since only Dean, Kucinich, Sharpton, and Moseley Braun are on the ballot. Moseley Braun does not appear to be campaiging at all in the state. Sharpton is stumping in person and broadcasting radio ads. And as both news stories highlight, Dean and Kucinich both have a sufficiently strong ground operation in D.C. to arrange for mass phone calls and mailings and to canvass the city leafleting. When will the media notice that the Kucinich campaign has an organization comparable to the "serious candidates" and far superior to the "fringe" candidates he is always classed with. Moseley Braun is the only candidate whose viability is questionable.
Subscribe to this blog's feed