Rivals make last pitches in Iowa
DES MOINES - As a new poll showed Senator Barack Obama opening up a modest lead over his rivals, the Democratic presidential candidates kicked off the new year yesterday by making their final pitches to voters across Iowa.
Though Obama's opponents questioned the accuracy of The Des Moines Register survey, which gave him a 7-percentage-point edge over Senator Hillary Clinton, Obama was buoyant as he charged up his troops at a morning rally in Des Moines. But he also warned against complacency.
"The polls are not enough," the Illinois senator told a crowd of 1,000 at Roosevelt High School, as supporters hoisted the Register's front page over their heads. "The only thing that counts is whether or not you show up to caucus."
That is the challenge for all the Democratic campaigns as they head into tomorrow's caucuses, where the results will hinge on organization, turnout, and even the weather. The forecast: sunny, windy, and a relatively balmy 31 degrees for a high.
While Obama was claiming momentum from the Register poll, his opponents, including former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who placed third, tried to discredit the results. They argued that the survey relied too heavily on first-time caucusgoers, and that it reflected an unrealistic expectation of how many Republicans and independents would participate in Democratic caucuses.
"Is the poll accurate? There are good reasons to think it is NOT," Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz said in an e-mail to reporters.
Campaigning in Ames yesterday, Clinton expressed confidence in her chances, saying, "I don't know about you, but I am feeling great!"
Later, at an arts center in Sioux City, she turned her platform into a rallying cry, shouting, "Are you ready for change? Are you ready for universal healthcare for every single American? Are you ready for home-grown energy that is going to put Americans to work right here? Are you ready to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home as quickly and responsibly as we can?"
Edwards was also in Ames, kicking off a 36-hour "Marathon for the Middle Class" tour and highlighting 36 proposals - such as raising the minimum wage to $9.50 and strengthening labor laws - to help working families.
In addition to their 11th-hour campaign appearances, each of the leading Democrats is using other media to get their messages out to voters one last time.
Clinton, Obama, and Edwards will all air special television ads during evening newscasts across Iowa tonight. In yesterday's Register, Edwards ran a full-page version of his stump speech about his background and the plight of the middle class.
Obama got another mild boost yesterday when US Representative Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic presidential contender with a small band of followers, asked his Iowa supporters to consider Obama as their second choice. (Under Democratic Party rules, if a candidate's backers don't have enough numbers at a caucus - usually 15 percent of those in attendance - they can choose another candidate.)
An unprecedented amount of money is being raised and spent on the 2008 race by the candidates and independent groups trying to influence the outcome. Obama and Clinton both said they raised more than $100 million in 2007, breaking presidential fund-raising records by a wide margin.
Kim Roby, a 46-year-old precinct captain for Obama in Adel, Iowa, was smiling after his event, but she said she was not taking the poll or anything else for granted.
"You can't just lay back," said Roby, a special education teacher who plans to spend today, her last day of winter break, knocking on doors. "We've got to keep going."
Marcella Bombardieri of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com. 