With the Nov. 2 presidential election looming on the horizon and their candidate down as many as six points in the latest Virginia polls, Sen. John Kerry's campaign has recently removed nearly two dozen staffers from the Commonwealth.
The Kerry campaign will not close any of its Virginia offices, but approximately 22 out of 33 paid campaign workers are being transferred to battleground states such as Nevada and Wisconsin, where the contest is much closer, said Jonathan Beeton, Kerry's spokesperson in Virginia.
While neither campaign said the move necessarily decides the Virginia race for President Bush, the removal of staffers, following an advertising withdrawal by Kerry two weeks ago, is another blow to Democratic efforts in a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 40 years.
Beeton said the campaign remains confident of its chances on Nov. 2.
"I think the foundation has been laid for a very strong showing and it is definitely a very close race," Beeton said. "We have not given up on the state in any way."
Shawn Smith, spokesperson for the Virginia Republican Party, said the Bush campaign remains confident that the Commonwealth will side with the president, but will continue its efforts in Virginia.
"We're not taking anything for granted and this does not change our intense focus leading up to the Election Day," Smith said.
The final month of the Kerry campaign in Virginia will focus on get-out-the-vote efforts, Beeton said, noting that the campaign has organized 4,000 volunteers for Election Day.
"Ideally, you would want more staff, but at this point we feel confident that we can turn out the vote that we have with our offices all open," Beeton said.
The 2004 election in Virginia, which has featured over 10 visits by Kerry, has been more active than previous presidential elections, according to Peter Jackson, communications associate at the Center for Politics. In 2000, Al Gore virtually ignored Virginia and Bush won the state by eight percentage points.
The withdrawals, especially of television ads, will reduce the race's visibility in Virginia, according to Jackson.
"Virginians aren't used to seeing presidential campaign ads," Jackson said.
Both sides disagreed strongly over the future impact of Democratic efforts in Virginia during 2004.
Smith said the pull-out spelled trouble for Democrats in the upcoming 2005 state elections, including a likely gubernatorial race between Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine and Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.
"This is a huge setback for [Gov.] Mark Warner and Tim Kaine's faltering campaign to compete for Virginia's electoral votes," Smith said.
But Beeton, citing recent Democratic claims that changing demographic and economic trends are increasing the Democratic vote in Virginia, said the 2004 effort represented a "historic investment."
"This is something that is paying off," Beeton said. "Things don't remain stagnant, and voters change."
Beeton, however, joined the departing staffers yesterday afternoon, leaving for Reno, Nev., where the latest polls show Bush leading Kerry by two to four points.
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