Publication Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Ruskin and Poizner stick to the basics
Ruskin and Poizner stick to the basics
(September 15, 2004) 21st District race poses strong challenges for both candidates
by Alex Doniach
owhere is the necessity for grass-roots campaigning more evident than the 21st district Assembly race.
For Republican Steve Poizner and Democrat Ira Ruskin, the campaign has meant hours of walking door-to-door, attending house parties, phoning, and registering voters.
Ruskin, who has the advantage of running in a largely Democratic district, said his main goal is to tap into the energy created by the Bush/Kerry race and encourage everyone to vote.
For his part, Poizner has visited more than 9,000 local homes in an attempt to make voters concentrate on his promise to act as an independent voice rather than his party affiliation.
"It is critical to get people to stop and compare," said Poizner, a high-tech billionaire who has invested more than $500,000 to his own campaign. "If they just vote their party affiliation, I will lose. If I get people to stop and look I will win."
The district's current representative, Joe Simitian, said there is no better way to connect with voters than by reaching them directly.
"A good grass-roots effort can produce 2 or 3 percentage points of difference, and in a tight race that could be enough to tip that race one way or another," Simitian said.
Simitian, who is leaving his current seat to run for state Senate this November, credits his own victory in the primaries to an aggressive campaign in San Jose, where voters knew little about his political history.
"What a good grassroots campaign does is involve people in real conversations with voters in the district and engage them in a way that typically isn't possible to do with radio, TV and mail," he said.
For Poizner, that kind of testimony is exactly what he needs to edge his way into a traditionally Democratic district. Much like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Poizner has marketed himself as a "maverick" Republican who will not owe any favors to special interests due to his personal wealth.
"I'm in a position where I can be independent," said Poizner, who refuses any donations over $3,200.
The financial disparity of the two candidates has forced Ruskin to take a uniquely aggressive grass-roots approach to a local election that has ballooned past normal spending limits. He has focused on his 10-year tenure on the Redwood City Council and relied on his large, local support network.
"This is a hard fought election," Ruskin said. "We have to get our message out in other ways."
The war in Iraq, he said, has helped create a new energy in politics that is especially visible among young voters.
"There is a resurgence of idealism among young voters in our community," he said. "This is caused in part by their being so upset by the war. Those young voters are flocking to my campaign."
Despite heightened enthusiasm, Simitian warned that door-to-door activity isn't always easy in the 21st district. In a growing area, it is becoming increasingly harder to reach residents who work full-time, he said.
Regardless of the challenges, eager volunteers on both camps are pouring themselves into the campaign.
"The efforts are definitely paying off," Poizner said. "During precinct walking, once people realize that you are not trying to sell something and aren't part of a religious cult, they are happy to talk. At the end of the day, my knees are killing me, but it's worth it."
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