Lt. Gov. Denish, Obama Campaign Discuss Blueprint for New Mexico

Obama campaign reaching out in Taos

On a conference call today with reporters and bloggers, Obama officials discussed where the Campaign for Change stands in New Mexico and the tactics they'll employ to win this Fall. Participants included Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who's now a NM Co-Chair for Obama after previously backing Hillary Clinton, State Director Adrian Saenz, Deputy National Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand and others.

The main differences between the Obama campaign and past Dem prez efforts here: vastly increased and proactive voter registration activities, an emphasis on contacting registered Dems who don't vote regularly and outreach in every corner of the state, not just along the I-25 corridor.

An Unprecedented Hunger for Change: Lt. Gov. Denish spoke about her recent trips around the state, where she encountered what she called "an unprecedented level" of grassroots support for change and lots of activity already happening on the ground. She mentioned the registration advantage Dems have long had in NM and the importance of powerful GOTV efforts to reach Dems who vote only sporatically, as well as independents -- especially outside major population areas. Denish said that she'd never witnessed such a "massive mobilization" by a presidential campaign here, and it's only just begun.

Agressively Reaching Out to Rural Voters: NM Campaign Director Adrian Saenz said the campaign is "aggressively" going after voters in rural communities and small towns. Of the 23 field offices now open, 17 are in rural areas, including a recently launched office in Shiprock. Tomorrow an Obama campaign will open in Espanola. There'll be even more to come.

Saenz said the reception in areas of the state almost always ignored by presidential candidates has been "phenomenal," with large numbers of volunteers clamoring to join up. Saenz worked in New Mexico during the 2004 election and said he was amazed at how many volunteers were active then, but that this year's turnout to date "blows away" the totals for '04.

Now Active: The campaign had more than 1000 canvassers out this weekend all over the state, with the largest number showing up to walk in Raton, in Northern New Mexico. There are more than 4000 active volunteers for Obama here, with about a quarter of those in rural areas. About 34,000 are on the New Mexico email list, about a third of which are from less populated cities and towns.

Early GOTV for Early Voting: There is a big push to convince supporters to vote early by mail. Extensive GOTV efforts will start early, because folks can start voting on October 1st at County Clerk offices and on October 18th at satellite locations before the November 4th election.

Special Focus on SE New Mexico: One area that will get special attention is Southeastern New Mexico, where Bush won big in '04. There will be campaign offices in most of the towns there and the campaign is finding a strong volunteer base shaping up in that region already. The Obama campaign clearly thinks they can increase Dem vote totals substantially in the area if they reach out to enough new voters, moderates and Dems who seldom vote.

Check out this document (pdf) for more on Obama's blueprint for change in New Mexico.

Get Involved Now: You can learn more about what's happening around the state and sign up to be a part of it at the New Mexico for Obama page. The New Mexico event calendar lists 115 events at the moment. Sign up for one or start your own. The clock is ticking.

Photos from Taos courtesy Obama Campaign for Change.

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