NEW: Hinckley Campaign—GOP Turnout Higher Than Projected
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
The campaign manager for Barry Hinckley is telling GoLocalProv that Republican turnout is higher than expected in the suburban and rural towns that the GOP Senate candidate needs to win to offset Whitehouse’s expected advantage in the urban core.
In 2006, Whitehouse won 17 of 39 cities and towns, most concentrated in Providence and other urban areas, said Hinckley campaign manager Patrick Sweeney. “So we have to make up those deficits in all the other cities and towns,” he said.
That same year, voters in eight communities split their tickets—voting for GOP gubernatorial candidate Don Carcieri and Whitehouse for Senate. Five of those eight went for John Robitaille in the 2010 governor’s race. “The electoral map from our standpoint looks pretty good,” Sweeney said.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn terms of get-out-the-vote efforts, however, the Hinckley campaign is outmatched by Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, who has hundreds of volunteers working across the state, according to his campaign manager, Tony Simon. “We’re working hard all across the state,” Simon said.
So far, Simon said turnout numbers have been good for the Whitehouse campaign as well.
The Hinckley campaign has approximately 30 volunteers dedicated to get-out-the-vote efforts, although it is also coordinating with other volunteers who are doing double duty for the Romney campaign and various Statehouse races.
The campaign says it expects Hinckley to end the day with a “strong showing.”
