For nearly a month, a self-described Democratic grassroots coalition has had a canvassing effort going where volunteers have been solicited – including from Maine and Niles townships – and bused every weekend to nearby states identified as battlegrounds in the upcoming presidential election.
On Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, Chicago-based Operation Swing State took about 40 volunteers from Niles and Maine townships to Michigan and Wisconsin – swing states in the Nov. 5 election – to knock on doors and urge support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Those dozens of volunteers were part of a larger group that departed from a site in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.
While Illinois is a deeply blue state politically, Michigan and Wisconsin are two of seven battlegrounds and could lean one way or another. National polls indicate a tight race so far, with Harris leading by up to 3 percentage points but within the margin of error.
Additionally, national polls Tuesday indicate that Harris currently barely edges out her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, in the two Midwestern swing states. Trump leads narrowly in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, according to the polls.
In the 2020 election match up of Democrat Joe Biden versus Trump, who was seeking reelection, Biden squeaked out wins in those states. Biden edged out Trump by just over 20,600 votes in Wisconsin, and by 51% versus Trump’s 48% of the vote in Michigan.
Patrick Hanley, a spokesman for Operation Swing State, said Illinois voters are, nevertheless, an important factor in the close contest in nearby states. He said while voters can feel overwhelmed with campaign ads online, and political texts, mail and television commercials, face-to-face campaigns can mean something more.
“To have just a volunteer come and talk to you at your door is refreshing to hear,” Hanley said.
The caravan dispatched the weekend of Oct. 5 went to southeastern Wisconsin and southwestern Michigan, concentrating on rural areas, canvass organizers explained.
“These were groups where people were knocking on doors where people hadn’t done this before, so they were happy to see somebody out,” said Hanley.
In total, the group organized about 700 volunteers over the weekend, a count organization leaders considered healthy.
“It was huge, it really was incredible,” Hanley said.
Operation Swing State first started busing the weekend of Sept. 28 and plans to continue weekly efforts until around election day. Organizers said while they had been targeting anyone who had, at some point, voted for Democrats, now they’re focused more on Democrats who have skipped an election or two.
“The doors that we’re doing increasingly are turn-out doors – folks who have voted for Democrats in the past – and were reminding them that there’s an election and to get out and vote,” he said.
Hanley said the whole process is fairly easy for volunteers, and there is still time to participate – either knocking on doors or working phone banks.
He called Illinois a “hinge” in the election.
“We’re not a swing state … but we will make the difference on whether Kamala Harris goes to the White House,” he said.
Jesse Wright is a freelancer. Pioneer Press staff contributed.
