SEIU to focus on Obama ground game
Posted: Monday, March 24, 2008 2:49 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- SEIU leaders said they are planning on focusing on “member-to-member” contacts throughout Pennsylvania, choosing not to air advertisements for Obama at this time.
“We think in Pennsylvania, the more workers can talk to workers, the more influential we can be,” said Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer, in a conference call with reporters Monday.
There are more than 75,000 SEIU members in the Keystone State, and the union is setting up eight sites across Pennsylvania. The focus has been on registration through Monday, the deadline for residents to register to vote or change their party affiliation. The next step will be educating members.
While SEIU aired ads for Obama, shortly after announcing their national endorsement, before the Ohio primary, they are not planning to go on television or radio in Pennsylvania at this time. “But that could change,” Burger said.
“We think the candidates are spending so much on the air, it's more important for us to be on the door and on the ground,” she said.
After a compressed primary schedule earlier this year, union officials said the extra time has allowed them to ensure their membership rolls are up to date and to better organize themselves in the field, which lessened the need for media buys. Burger said members have been spontaneously reaching out to union officials, interested in the race and getting involved.
When asked if Obama could win the union vote in Pennsylvania, with polls showing Clinton at a 15-point advantage, Burger said she thought “we can narrow the gap.”
