With the 2016 presidential election approaching, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are working to reach the Charlottesville area.
The Clinton campaign opened a new office on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall in July.
“I think that her efforts have been timely and I think that they've been really good so far and I think that the office and the infrastructure has all collectively started at the right time,” University Democrats President Sam Tobin, a fourth-year College student, said.
Trump has yet to open a campaign office in Charlottesville, but efforts are being made in support of his campaign, from student organizations such as Students for Trump and other conservative groups in the Charlottesville area.
Adam Kimelman, a second-year College student and vice chair of campaigns for the College Republicans, said Trump’s campaign efforts can be improved when it comes to reaching out to voters.
“Recent polls say it's basically tied here and I think that the Trump campaign definitely can step up efforts in terms of door-knocking and making phone calls, to try to get out votes and see if they can win election day,” Kimelman said.
This emphasis on local campaign initiatives is incredibly important when it comes to this election, Tobin said.
“You would like to think that as American citizens we would all come out to the polls, but voters need a little extra push sometimes to go out and make the effort to vote,” Tobin said.
Tobin said campaign funds are limited and proper monetary management is crucial for Clinton’s campaign efforts.
“You only have so much money you can spend and so much money comes in at a certain point, that you need to focus your resources efficiently,” Tobin said.
Geoffrey Skelley, Center for Politics media relations coordinator, said Trump may have not opened an office in the Charlottesville-Albemarle County area because of its Democratic lean.
“It doesn't shock me that Trump doesn't have an office here,” Skelley said in an email statement, noting the area “is maybe a little bit down the list compared to major Republican areas, like Lynchburg and the surroundings of Lynchburg.”
Considering the area’s large wealthy and educated demographic, Skelley described the Charlottesville-Albemarle area as a “poor fit for Trump.”
Skelley said the Charlottesville area, however, is not “make or break” when it comes to winning Virginia.
With only about three percent of the state’s total votes coming from the area in 2012, “Trump is not going to necessarily lose Virginia because he doesn't have an office in the [Charlottesville] area,” Skelley said.
Clinton was leading Trump in the race for Virginia by 3.5 points as of Sept. 6, according to RealClearPolitics.
Erich Reimer, Albemarle County co-chair for the Trump campaign and a third-year Law student, said having field offices is not as “necessary” for Trump as it might be for other candidates.
“I think certainly one major factor is the fact that the Trump campaign gets a lot of free exposure just thanks to the media and … general supporters out there who are very active on their own in spreading word about the GOP and the Trump campaign,” Reimer said.
Trump has been able to gain support through other means including volunteer work, literature, television ads and other forms of advertisement.
The Republican Party of Virginia’s “Team Virginia” program that works to support their nominees is also “very active” in the area, Reimer said.
Reimer said Trump’s campaign is currently in the process of establishing a campaign office in Charlottesville.
Tommy Holmberg, U.Va. Grounds Organizer for Hillary for Virginia, declined to comment for this article.
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