WASHINGTON–Obama campaign manager David Plouffe is doing a powerpoint now at the Democratic National Committee headquarters here, with a packed audience of political reporters. Plouffe’s message: Obama has a lot of states in play, a lot of options to find 270 electoral votes. This is not a campaign that is going to be dependent on Florida or Ohio to win.
Said Plouffe, with a map of the Obama battleground states behind him, Obama has A huge range of possibilities to get to 270.”
Key to the Plouffe analysis is the close 2004 election and his gauge that Obama will keep the Kerry states
electoral votes
Bush 286
Kerry 252
Win the Kerry states, win Iowa, its 259,” said Plouffe.
He said that in Alaska and Georgia the third party run of former Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) could drain enough votes from Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) that Obama could win in those states.
As for turn-out and registration, “Our volume will be enormous.”
Plouffe said he will have a grassroots “persuasion army” out there.
