Republicans hire 1,500 staff to rally vote for Trump as president trails in polls
THE Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump’s campaign say they have now hired 1,500 field staffers, aiming to convert their financial advantage over Democrats into votes in November.
Trump Victory, the joint field effort of the two organisations, announced yesterday the hiring of an additional 300 staffers set to hit 20 target states by tomorrow in the largest field operation ever mounted by a Republican. The goal is to turn out votes on behalf of Republicans up and down the ticket this autumn.
The Trump team says it is on pace to eclipse the 2.2 million volunteer total that helped re-elect President Barack Obama in 2012.
The announcement comes as polls show Mr Trump trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden across key battleground states and nationally.
Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna Mcdaniel said staff and volunteers are looking to use the RNC’S data trove and voter scores to reach a dwindling swath of swing voters and the far larger universe of low-propensity voters.
A field programme alone does not win elections and four years ago it was Mr Trump’s ground game that lagged Hillary Clinton’s but in a close election, the Republicans argue, it can spell the difference between victory and defeat.
“In an election like this, where it’s going to come down to a few thousand votes in a couple of states, that’s when your ground game matters,” Ms Mcdaniel said.
Republicans are quick to note their staffer count in the field is more than double that of Mr Biden, whose goal was 600 field staffers by the end of June.
And, while Biden’s campaign has out-raised Trump in recent months, Mr Trump’s team believes its cashon-hand advantage and hiring head-start give it an insurmountable edge in reaching out to voters.
Both the Trump and Biden field operations went virtual largely overnight in mid-march as the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Mr Trump’s has begun resuming some in-person campaign activities as states have lifted some virus restrictions.
“We have the biggest and best ground game operation ever seen,” said Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. “Joe Biden scarcely emerges from his basement, is woefully behind in state organisations and lacks enthusiasm.”
Mr Biden’s campaign dismissed the criticism and asserted a broader advantage by the Democrat.
“In this moment of crisis, Joe Biden’s message is resonating with voters because he has displayed the responsibility and leadership that the American people expect of a president – whereas Donald Trump has careened from failure to failure, undermining the fight against the coronavirus pandemic with his instability and mismanagement while spreading hate to divide our country at a time when we need to come together more than ever,” Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said.