Face Time Pays Big for Obama in Battlegrounds

One reason for Barack Obama’s lead in the polls: He and his surrogates have simply outhustled the Republicans, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama, wife Michelle, and running mate Joe Biden have had 95 swing-state appearances since Sept. 5, to 55 for their Republican counterparts. Personal appearances like these drive local news coverage, which, says one consultant, is “what drives votes.”

A major reason for the gap is that John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Cindy McCain tend to travel together, while the Democrats campaign apart, hitting more places in the same time. Consequently, the Democrats have had 14 events each in Ohio and Pennsylvania, to nine in each for the Republican. They enjoy 9-1, 7-2, and 4-0 edges in Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana. (More Election 2008 stories.)