9/29/00 10:10 a.m.
Quiet Before the Storm
With forty days left, the candidates set for battle.

By Kevin Holtsberry, freelance writer based in Ohio

ith forty days left, the presidential race is eerily quiet here in the Buckeye State. After a deluge of candidate visits and media attention, Ohio is left with surrogates and third-party hopefuls.

Example: Rebecca Lieberman was in Columbus stressing a favorite subject of NRO's Jonah Goldberg — the importance of Generations X and Y in this year's election. Everyone else seems to be catching their breath, preparing for the debates, and wondering why Bruce Coslet (head coach of the winless Cincinnati Bengals) didn't quit sooner.

Up north, Cleveland TV viewers are paying a heavy price as they follow the Indians' down-to-the-wire wild-card chase — Bush/RNC and Gore/DNC have run over 200 ads each over a recent seven-day period. As the race tightens and election day looms, the rest of us brace for a similar post-Olympic barrage.

And as the journalists and pundits attempt to explain the latest poll numbers, the campaigns are shifting their focus to the hard work of getting voters to actually vote come November.

It is one thing to do well in the polls and another to win at the polls. This requires a host of volunteers, a strong organization at the local level, and a sense of urgency. In a battleground state like Ohio, each side needs its base fired up and ready to go, but must also convince enough independents to pull the lever to push them over the top.

Each candidate is now honing in on key issues while summoning their leverage in the state:

Bush Strengths in Ohio: The dominance of the Republican party statewide; strong state and local organizations; and a populace that leans towards moderate Republicans while distrusting Gore.

Favorite Bush Issues in Ohio: Education, defense, and trust.

Gore Strengths in Ohio: Solid union support (as long as Nader is at 3-4%) and a holiday on November 7; a strong economy; less emphasis on charisma and more on stability; and the fact Ohio voted for Clinton/Gore in 1992 and 1996.

Favorite Gore Issues in Ohio: Prescription Drugs, targeted tax cuts, and deficit reduction.

Meanwhile, with loyal Republicans and Democrats solidly behind their party's nominee, independents are looking for something that will confirm their gut reaction. Missing are the large outside rallies of the primary and early post-convention season; instead we have town hall meetings and school visits. As a result, it is often difficult to get an accurate read on the race. Everything points, however, to a tight and potentially volatile race in these coming weeks.

During the Republican primaries, after a potentially devastating loss in Michigan, Ohio's Republican leadership literally went door to door for Governor Bush and delivered a crucial win. Look for the same full-court press here in Ohio through November 7. Ohioans voted for Bill Clinton twice, but Republicans are quietly confident that Bush will take the Buckeye state. The real question on everyone's mind: Will that be enough?