Bush, Kerry have their eyes on Dixie
Is South in play this election year?
From Judy Woodruff
CNN
(CNN) -- Is the South solid Bush country this election year? Or can Sen. John Kerry pull off something of a miracle and derail the GOP's dominance in the region?
Polls show President Bush remains the front-runner across much of the South. But with Florida up for grabs and with North Carolina's Sen. John Edwards a potential running mate for Kerry, Democrats say the region will be in play come November.
Both campaigns talk about the importance of the elusive Southern vote, but the candidates have very different strategies to attract Dixie's voters.
When I spoke Monday with Ralph Reed, the Bush campaign's Southeastern chairman, he acknowledged the Bush team has focused on getting out the vote by approaching church congregations.
He said they are asking religious leaders to "make sure people are registered to vote, make sure they're informed on the issues and make sure they go to the polls."
Appearing on Inside Politics, Reed rejected criticism that the effort to enlist thousands of churchgoers around the country violates the separation of church and state. He said ministers have been approached as individuals, not in their official capacities.
Reed said he has "never seen a grassroots organization of this size and scale, a challenger or incumbent. And I believe in a very close election -- and this will be a close election -- it will be one of the factors in a Bush victory."
While the Bush campaign is "not overconfident" about its chances of winning in the South, Reed said they are "working hard across the South, including, obviously, in the all-critical state of Florida."
Bush's younger brother, Jeb, is governor of the Sunshine State, which was the scene of the pivotal and protracted post-Election Day battle in 2000.
So does Kerry have a prayer in the South?
The Kerry campaign insists it will not write off the South, and has targeted Louisiana and Arkansas among 19 states in an initial $25 million television ad blitz in early June.
Democrats say they have a plan to break the Republican hold on the South by talking about the issues that matter most to Southern voters. "They look forward to the battle in the South," Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, told me Monday.
Kerry is "going to talk about the issues that people in the South care about," Pryor said. "He's going to talk about jobs, he's going to talk about the economy ...You look at health care, the South basically as a region is the most uninsured part of the country."
Democrats may also bring in their strongest campaigner, former President Clinton. In stark contrast to four years ago, when Democratic nominee Al Gore kept Clinton at a distance, some Democrats plan to integrate the former president into this year's national and state campaigns in the South.
While the former president's book tour will occupy him much of the summer, some political observers think the only way Kerry can beat Bush in Clinton's home state of Arkansas is to recruit Clinton. It is likely Republicans will also discuss Clinton while they campaign, but they will focus on his impeachment and personal missteps.
Earlier this year, there was speculation that Kerry might "write off" the South, because he faced such an uphill climb there for votes. With slightly more than four months to go before Election Day, that could still happen.
But, as of now, the Kerry team tells anyone who'll listen, that the South is a place they can win votes, even if it has to be one a time.
Judy Woodruff is CNN's prime anchor and senior correspondent. She also anchors "Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics," weekdays at 3:30 pm ET.
