Sunday, December 23, 2007
Candidates Temper Campaigning for Christmas
With the presidential race tightening and little time before the first party nomination contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, candidates are trying to woo voters without trampling on their holidays.
The Iowa contest, which kicks off the state-by-state process to choose Republican and Democratic candidates for the November 2008 election, takes place on January 3, the earliest date it has been held.
Most campaigns said they considered how close to Christmas they could campaign without alienating voters. Top contenders like Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards as well as Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani chose to take off Christmas Eve as well as December 25 itself.
But Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, a long-shot Democrat who temporarily moved to Iowa to boost his bid, decided Christmas Eve was the right time to wrap up his holiday-themed '12 Days' campaign.
"It's a good event to finish our '12 Days of Results' tour (in Iowa) focusing on national service," spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said.
Political experts in the two states said they expected the campaigns to tone down their rhetoric during the holidays.
"You might see less of the mud-slinging and fighting over the issues and more the candidates trying to appeal to voters," said Dean Lacy, a government professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
But Iowa voters largely have shrugged off the barrage of campaigning this month, saying it was part of being an early voting state.
"We expect it in Iowa," said Neil Brewster, 34, a graphics designer at aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids. "We here in Iowa have this privilege of being first in the nation and setting the tone for things."
The Iowa Republican Party said it expected toned down rhetoric to avoid spoiling the holiday spirit.
WHAT TONE?
Political experts said they expected most candidates to continue running television and radio ads. "My guess is that if the candidates can get some ads in during football games and parades that's fine as long as they're not angering voters with criticism of their opponents," Lacy said.
Former first lady and now New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and the other leading Democrats -- Obama, who is a senator from Illinois, and Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina -- see little loss from spending the holiday off the trail.
"It's a special time for the senator to spend with his daughters and with his wife, and we're confident that Iowans will get to see plenty of him in the days following," Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
But some political observers said the tightening race meant the contenders could not afford to take off very much time.
On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has seen his lead evaporate while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took the top spot in Iowa polls in the last two weeks. Arizona Sen. John McCain has received endorsements that could improve his chances.
Huckabee, who has eight events on Friday and Saturday plus a Sunday talk show interview before taking some time off, appeared to be taking a softer approach during the holiday season, a course others may not follow.
"Can you draw sharp contrasts, can you be negative during the holiday season?" said University of Iowa political professor David Redlawsk. "I don't think the risk is any larger than it is at any other time when you draw contrasts in order to take on your opponent."
With the presidential race tightening and little time before the first party nomination contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, candidates are trying to woo voters without trampling on their holidays.
The Iowa contest, which kicks off the state-by-state process to choose Republican and Democratic candidates for the November 2008 election, takes place on January 3, the earliest date it has been held.
Most campaigns said they considered how close to Christmas they could campaign without alienating voters. Top contenders like Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards as well as Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani chose to take off Christmas Eve as well as December 25 itself.
But Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, a long-shot Democrat who temporarily moved to Iowa to boost his bid, decided Christmas Eve was the right time to wrap up his holiday-themed '12 Days' campaign.
"It's a good event to finish our '12 Days of Results' tour (in Iowa) focusing on national service," spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said.
Political experts in the two states said they expected the campaigns to tone down their rhetoric during the holidays.
"You might see less of the mud-slinging and fighting over the issues and more the candidates trying to appeal to voters," said Dean Lacy, a government professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
But Iowa voters largely have shrugged off the barrage of campaigning this month, saying it was part of being an early voting state.
"We expect it in Iowa," said Neil Brewster, 34, a graphics designer at aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids. "We here in Iowa have this privilege of being first in the nation and setting the tone for things."
The Iowa Republican Party said it expected toned down rhetoric to avoid spoiling the holiday spirit.
WHAT TONE?
Political experts said they expected most candidates to continue running television and radio ads. "My guess is that if the candidates can get some ads in during football games and parades that's fine as long as they're not angering voters with criticism of their opponents," Lacy said.
Former first lady and now New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and the other leading Democrats -- Obama, who is a senator from Illinois, and Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina -- see little loss from spending the holiday off the trail.
"It's a special time for the senator to spend with his daughters and with his wife, and we're confident that Iowans will get to see plenty of him in the days following," Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
But some political observers said the tightening race meant the contenders could not afford to take off very much time.
On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has seen his lead evaporate while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took the top spot in Iowa polls in the last two weeks. Arizona Sen. John McCain has received endorsements that could improve his chances.
Huckabee, who has eight events on Friday and Saturday plus a Sunday talk show interview before taking some time off, appeared to be taking a softer approach during the holiday season, a course others may not follow.
"Can you draw sharp contrasts, can you be negative during the holiday season?" said University of Iowa political professor David Redlawsk. "I don't think the risk is any larger than it is at any other time when you draw contrasts in order to take on your opponent."
