Campaigns Active in Johnson County Iowa

Monday, August 27, 2007


County campaigns in full swing

Volunteers show it's not too early to think about politics



By Kathryn Fiegen
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Terrence Neuzil worked for the John Edwards campaign in Johnson County four years ago, so when the former senator from North Carolina decided to run again, the choice to support him was easy.

So this winter, Neuzil, also a Johnson County Supervisor, called up the campaign and told it to get in touch with him after Labor Day.

He practically was laughed off the phone.

"Usually, we say the campaign doesn't start until the students come back," Neuzil said. "Well, the campaign started four months ago. It's amazing how it's changed."

Volunteers for most of the major campaigns in Johnson County already are working at breakneck speed. Leaders said that, months before the caucuses, they are getting up early and going to bed late, juggling campaign work with regular jobs.

"The pace is -- it's a really fast pace," said Iowa City Mayor Ross Wilburn, who helps lead Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's campaign locally. "It's really a general election pace."

Steffen Schmidt, Iowa State University political science professor and "Dr. Politics" on WOI Public Radio, said the campaigns have started earlier, in part, because the stakes are higher this time around.

"There is a much greater sense of urgency than there has been in other years," he said.

This is especially true for Democrats, who want to put a new party behind the wheel in the White House, Schmidt said.

And with its reputation for having the first caucuses in the nation, Iowa is getting caught in the maelstrom, he said.

"There's a lot of different factors playing in," Schmidt said. "For one, the national scene is breathing down the neck of Iowa. It's urgent because after Iowa, everything happens like a dam breaking.

"What happens in Iowa is maybe more important than in other years because if you do badly in Iowa, there is no time to fix it before the other primaries."

Iowa's caucuses are set for Jan. 14, but that date could be moved up depending on what other states do. Even still, the campaigns say it doesn't change what they are doing, which is getting their candidate's name and message out to a public that is swamped with choices.

Getting a team together

There are, perhaps, two campaigns going for each candidate in Johnson County -- one for voters and one for volunteers.

Royce Phillips, who is helping to lead former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's campaign in the county, said the onslaught of candidates has made potential volunteers more cautious.

"I think a lot of people now have just started to sign on to candidates," he said. "This time more than others, there is just a tremendous reluctance to get on board with anybody."

Phillips said it was important for campaigns to get down to the basics, such as finding leaders in each of Johnson County's 56 precincts. He said it has been a little easier since his candidate came in second in the Republican Straw Poll a few weeks ago in Ames.

"Bottom line, you still have to get your people to the caucus," Phillips said.

Mary Mascher, a leader in the Hillary Clinton campaign in the county, said many people her volunteers call on are only looking to the major campaigns. After they make a decision between the top two or three, they are more than willing to sign on.

Despite finishing third in the straw poll, GOP Sen. Sam Brownback's campaign still is working on getting a campaign leader in Johnson County, said Emma Nemecek. The Mount Vernon resident and former candidate for the Legislature said she is going back and forth between a number of counties for the campaign, sometimes as a volunteer, sometimes as a paid field organizer.

She said she has had some interest to lead the county, especially from Johnson County Right to Life, but no one has the time yet to step up.

"It's a full time job," she said.

Wilburn said volunteers have to support a candidate, to a degree, where they are willing to get out in front of people and take a risk. He said the grassroots nature of the Obama campaign is making it easy to find volunteers.

"They aren't professional speakers and they aren't involved in elected office, but they are willing to put themselves out there," he said.

Neuzil said the Edwards campaign has a leg up on some of the others because it still has its supporter lists from four years ago, when he finished second in the Iowa caucuses. Almost all of the Edwards precinct leader slots are filled, he said.

"Right now, obviously, staff is putting together a pretty strong team," Neuzil said. "Where we are now and where we were four years ago is night and day."

Neuzil said he hopes people in the county take the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actively participate in this election.

"There's so many opportunities to get involved. We have so much access to candidates, what an incredible opportunity it is," he said. "One of these individuals is going to be president of the United States, and they are here in the community, wanting to shake your hand.

"I think if you don't take advantage of that, it's a real shame."

Rolling up their sleeves and digging in

Although it is still more than a year away from the presidential election, campaigns in Johnson County aren't leaving any venues for communication untouched.

Margaret McDonald, county chairwoman for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, said she is spending a lot of her time on the phone these days.

"A lot of it is telephone," she said, noting she mostly calls her precinct leaders to get them to show up to the GOP candidate's events. "I try to do as much work during the daytime as I can. I would say the most difficult part of politics is getting the people to participate."

It's not too early to hit the streets. Almost all the major campaigns said they have already gone door-to-door to get support for their candidate. Some of them also have been showing up regularly to summer parades.

Nemecek said she thinks Johnson County voters are receptive to personal visits by volunteers.

"Some residents of Johnson County, they like it when you come to them and you take time for them," she said.

County leaders also said they are connected to their computers these days, getting daily communication from campaign staff.

"There are daily e-mails going left and right," Wilburn said.

The e-mails help volunteers stay in touch between meetings. The major Democratic campaigns in Johnson County have meetings frequently -- from once-a-month steering committees to informal lunches a few times a week.

And it's only going to pick up from here.

"It's probably going to be (that) you're going to have to triple the amount of work," Nemecek said. "I don't know what's going to happen, both parties are going crazy. There is no life for us. It's up to Saturdays, even. That's how hard we work."

Mascher said volunteers during this election cycle are more committed than ever.

"They are willing to do whatever they can to get these people elected," she said.

Neuzil said Johnson County voters should hang in there, too.

"Hopefully, they will be patient with all the different campaigns," he said. "Expect a lot of campaigns to be calling you. I'm sure for a lot of people, they will get 15 to 30 calls from all of us and at least seven visits."

Balancing lives

Campaign leaders in the county come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but they share one thing in common. They are known for their leadership and political activism.

They have been chosen by each candidate for that reason -- they know who to talk to, who the other activists are and what the county political landscape is.

But many are very aware of glaring conflicts of interest and the future months of long days ahead.

Wilburn said people he has talked to aren't worried he will stump for Obama during city council meetings or to colleagues at his other workplace, the Crisis Center. He said his precedent with keeping Crisis Center and city decisions separate puts people at ease.

"I've always been good at setting boundaries," Wilburn said.

Neuzil said he makes sure the Edwards campaign knows where his first priority is.

"For the most part, my role as county supervisor comes first," he said. "As a (campaign) county coordinator, it's basically two different lunches a week and then weekend work. That's the way I've coordinated it so far. Eventually, it will mean I'm calling more people after work."

Phillips said that, while he decides his candidate with spirituality in mind, he doesn't name-drop during Sunday sermons.

"In the pulpit and my position as pastor, I'll talk about the principles -- we don't want a liar as our president, we don't want a thief -- but I don't endorse a candidate," he said. "But the people I talk to on a one-on-one basis, there's no secret what side I'm on. But it's not something we talk about, say, in our mid-week Bible session."

Phillips said in addition to being a pastor and working on a campaign, he is also getting his Ph.D., making time a precious commodity.

"How do you balance your time? You make a list and prioritize and get down to it. And if in a day, you only get one-third done, then you take that two-thirds and start on it the next day," he said. "You get done what you can get done.

"As far as sitting down and making 500 calls, I've told the campaign that I am unable to do that, but I can point them to one or two people who can."