Obama Ground Game: State Parties Flush With Cash In Swing States
This is what the much discussed ground game looks like at the bottom floor. The operation might look inexpensive -- especially compared to the billion dollar television ad war waged by the campaigns and super PACs -- but it's not. The ground game requires paid staff to organize volunteers (the Arlington office boasts five, according to the Obama for America-Virginia web site), lots of cell phones, pamphlets, door-hangers, lawn signs, fuel for transportation, direct mail and -- as was evident at the Arlington office on Tuesday night -- pizza.
The majority of the funding for these efforts on the Democratic side isn't coming straight from the Obama campaign, nor is it coming directly from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Instead, the Democrats' effort in the various swing states is largely being funded by state party organizations flush with cash thanks to unprecedented transfers of money from both the DNC and the Obama campaign.
"Organizing for America is actually a project of the Democratic Party of Virginia," says Brian Coy, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia, about the dozens of organizing offices across the state like the one in Arlington. "Those folks are actually on our payroll and most of that money comes from the DNC."
Overall, the top ten swing state Democratic parties entered October having raised a combined $101 million. This compares to $52 million for these same swing state Republican parties. The Democratic parties had spent $87 million compared to $44 million for the Republican parties at the end of September, and entered October with $15 million cash on hand compared to the Republicans' $9.6 million.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/obama-ground-game-swing-states_n_2009600.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
