GOP, Dems Bank on "Ground Game" in Wisconsin

There’s an adage in politics that a close race can be won or lost by a campaign’s “ground game.” That includes knocking on doors, calling voters and getting them to vote early.

Republicans National Committee spokesman Tim Miller concedes those are areas where Democrats have traditionally excelled, “What we want to do is narrow that gap. Gain progress from where we were in 2008. Make it as close as possible by reaching out to these Republicans who may have skipped past elections and having them vote early so that we’re in a good position to win on Election Day.”

Miller contends that strategy is working, with early voting numbers up in Wisconsin’s Republican counties. He says Republicans have made more than two-million voter contacts here and contends Wisconsin’s GOP volunteer network is as good as any in the country.

But Democrats say Republicans are cherry picking numbers to create a false sense of momentum for Mitt Romney. Joe Zepecki is the spokesman for President Obama’s Wisconsin campaign, “They still have a very, very difficult path to try and get to 270 electoral votes. So I think all they’re trying to do is spin whatever they can to say we’re still in this and try to convince people that they have momentum.”

Democrats say their turnout operation is the largest Wisconsin has ever seen and that the types of voters who turn out only in Presidential races favor them.Democrats also point to dozens of polls showing the President consistently leading Mitt Romney in Wisconsin.