As I wrote earlier this month, Senator Barak Obama’s wife Michelle is slated to be in London for fundraisers next month. And now other candidates, both Democrats and Republicans are doing the same. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
“The hunt for cash, political cachet and votes is taking some of the 2008 presidential campaigns far from their usual cross-country tours to cross the pond to woo Americans living abroad.“
The article points out the synergies that campaigning abroad offers. Doing so allows candidates to raise money, court American voters abroad (6.6 million according to the article) and encourage them to vote, all while bolstering their foreign policy credentials.
According to The Miami Herald, which published a fuller version of the same article, the campagins realize that Americans abroad are an untapped resource of votes and campaign contributions. Today, it seems Americans abroad have the attention of the candidates as we never have before.
“With hundreds of thousands of expatriate voters registered in battleground states such as Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio in 2004, Democratic and Republican party officials launched large international get-out-the-vote drives.Republicans Abroad spent $285,000 that year on a voter drive that mainly consisted of ads in The Miami Herald, Canada’s National Post, the Guadalajara Reporter, The Jerusalem Post and Stars and Stripes.
The Democratic National Committee and Democrats Abroad spent about $182,000 in 2004 on international advertising, voter registration and direct mailings. Democratic and Republican officials say they expect to be more aggressive during the 2008 presidential campaign.
”We know that elections are getting tighter and tighter and every vote counts,” Finney said. “This is a competitive cycle, and campaigns are being very aggressive in looking for votes and funds in all places.”"
