David Plouffe

Early vote notes

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:46:44 -0400

"The die is being cast as we speak."

— David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama, noting that a high percentage of voters in North Carolina and other states have already cast their ballots, in a conference call with reporters on Oct. 31, 2008.

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Obama likes early voting results in N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:44:16 -0400

Barack Obama's campaign manager says he's banked votes in North Carolina.

In a conference call with reporters this morning, David Plouffe noted that nearly 39 percent of registered voters have already cast their ballots here.

He said that 19 percent of all the Democrats who have already voted here have never voted in a general election before, noting that there are a lot more new registered Democrats in the state than Republicans.

Plouffe argued that early voting results in states such as North Carolina mean that McCain has that much more ground to make up in the next four days.

"The die is being cast as we speak," he said. "Senator McCain on Election Day is not going to just have to carry the day but carry the day convincingly."

He later added that the campaign expects its turnout efforts to boost Senate candidates such as Kay Hagan, but that was not their primary goal.

Obama trying to make N.C. blue

bkrueger — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:20:38 -0400

David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama, said this afternoon that the campaign is committed to turning the Southern red states of Virginia and North Carolina blue in November.

“Virginia and North Carolina, from day one, have been key to our strategy of winning the White House and it remains so today,” Plouffe said in a teleconference with reporters from North Carolina and Virginia, reports Rob Christensen.

Plouffe said there was a massive voter registration effort underway in those two states. He said that during the last weekend in September, 100,000 doors will be knocked on in North Carolina. He said early voting should work to Obama’s advantage.

The McCain campaign’s decision to go on TV in North Carolina, he said, was another indication that the state is competitive.

“We think its a coin flip right now," Plouffe said. "We think it will break our way during the next seven and half weeks.”

Obama's Georgia staff moves to N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:39:11 -0400

Barack Obama moved some of his Georgia staff to North Carolina.

According to an article in Politico today, this state still remains among the second tier where the Democratic presidential candidate hopes to remain competitive, although he has given up on Georgia.

Earlier in the summer, the Obama campaign named 18 battleground states as prime advertising targets.
Obama recently stopped running ads in Georgia, a state the campaign originally identified as a potential battleground. Some Georgia field staff was moved into North Carolina, said Plouffe.

The campaign is still more focused on nearby Virginia than North Carolina.

Obama to resume ads in N.C. soon

bkrueger — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:25:05 -0400

DENVER - Barack Obama's campaign manager said today that the campaign will soon return to the airwaves in North Carolina and other battleground states.

David Plouffe told reporters the campaign had pulled ads in most battleground states during convention week, reports Jim Morrill.

"We weren't going to be anywhere this week," Plouffe said. "We'll be back very very soon in North Carolina on the air."

The Obama campaign has spent about $2 million so far in the state, mostly on TV advertising.

Plouffe called North Carolina "a central battleground." He said with its relatively large African American population and large numbers of voting age young people, the state is one of several Southern targets, including Virginia, Georgia and Florida.

Each of those states went for Republican George Bush in 2004.

Plouffe: N.C. front and center

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:43:44 -0400

David Plouffe says North Carolina is "front and center" in Barack Obama's campaign.

In response to a question from Dome in a conference call today, Obama's campaign manager said that the state is not in a second tier of battleground states.

"North Carolina is something that we think is highly competitive and very winnable," he said.

He said that he views states like South Carolina, Mississippi or Kentucky as second-tier states where Obama will be sending staffers but not yet spending a lot of money in search of an upset. In North Carolina, he said that increased turnout of young and African-American voters will help.

"We'll be fighting as hard as we can in North Carolina," he said.

Dome had read this earlier interview with Obama's field manager as saying that North Carolina would not receive as much attention as Iowa, New Mexico, Ohio and Nevada.

McCain to air ads in N.C. soon?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:21:37 -0400

John McCain may go on the air in North Carolina soon.

In a conference call with reporters, Barack Obama's campaign manager said that he's heard McCain will begin airing ads here soon.

During a discussion of the Obama campaign's strategies, David Plouffe repeated his contention that North Carolina is one of a number of states that could put him over the top.

He argued that McCain will have a hard time in states that John Kerry won in 2004, which means Obama would only need to pick up a couple more states to win the Electoral College. As an example, he cited a combination of Iowa and North Carolina.

"Virginia and North Carolina are two states that have not been part of the presidential dialogue much in the last few cycles," he said. "We are in a strong position right now in both of those states."

Plouffe also rebutted claims that Obama's recent 18-state ad buy — which included North Carolina — was not an attempt to drain McCain's coffers.

"There's not a head fake in any of these states," he said.

Obama's Let It Bleed Theory

ryanteaguebeckwith — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:55:00 -0400

The New York Times seconds the "Let It Bleed" theory.

In an article today on Hillary Clinton's concession, the Times notes that Barack Obama will kick off a tour on the economy in North Carolina, which hasn't gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Republican strategists in the article say that Obama has also inquired about ad rates in 25 states, including North Carolina. (By contrast, George W. Bush advertised in 17 states in 2004.)

Still, the newspaper quotes unnamed sources seconding Dome's theory that North Carolina may be a feint:

Mr. Obama's aides said some states where they intend to campaign — like Georgia, Missouri, Montana and North Carolina — might ultimately be too red to turn blue. But the result of his making an effort there could force Mr. McCain to spend money or send him to campaign in what should be safe ground, rather than using the resources in states like Ohio.

It also quotes Obama campaign manager David Plouffe saying that the primary campaign left them with stronger get-out-the-vote operations in smaller Republican states where turnout could make a difference, such as Alaska.

That would presumably not include North Carolina.

Obama campaign says Clinton needs N.C.

bkrueger — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:42:07 -0400

Barack Obama's campaign says Hillary Clinton needs to win North Carolina.

“I have heard the Clinton campaign talk about big battleground states,” David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager, told reporters this morning. “North Carolina is a big battleground state.

"By their own definition, it would appear they need to win North Carolina and win it by a wide margin.”

Polls show Obama has a double-digit lead over Clinton in North Carolina.

Plouffe said Clinton would need to win 57 percent of the pledged delegates in the remaining state primaries to come within 100 delegates of Obama’s lead.

Plouffe also said he expected North Carolina to be competitive in the fall, and polls show that Obama stacks up better against Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the Tar Heel State.

Obama to announce two N.C. superdelegates

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:48:31 -0400

Barack Obama has snagged two North Carolina superdelegates.

Campaign manager David Plouffe will hold a conference call with reporters this afternoon to announce two new endorsements.

Charlotte City Councilwoman Susan Burgess has already endorsed Hillary Clinton, while U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, former Democratic Party director Everett Ward, party vice chair Dannie Montgomery and lobbyist Joyce Brayboy have endorsed Obama.

That leaves 14 more superdelegates. Two are add-ons who will be named at the state convention. One is party chairman Jerry Meek, who has said he will remain neutral.

That leaves Gov. Mike Easley; Reps. Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre, Brad Miller, Bob Etheridge, David Price and Mel Watt; Buncombe County Commissioner Carol Peterson; Statesville attorney David Parker; Employment Security Commission employee Muriel K. Offerman and Cumberland County Commissioner Jeanette Council.

Obama will be in Raleigh and Greenville tomorrow, so today's announcement is likely strategically timed to give him a "momentum" story just as he comes to town.