2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Trump campaign has a ground-game problem
As the presidential election marathon breaks into a final sprint, the Trump campaign faces a jaw-dropping gap in the ground game: Hillary Clinton currently has more than three times the number of campaign offices in critical states than does Donald Trump.
The contrast is a test for the conventional campaign model and points to the candidates stark differences in methods. Clinton is cleaving to the data-driven, on-the-ground machine that won two elections for Barack Obama. Trump, on the other hand, insists he does not need traditional campaign tactics to win the election, pointing to his overwhelming nomination victory achieved with a relatively small team and little spending.
Nevertheless, the ground game is poised to be critical in 2016. Undecided voters are becoming scarce, and targeted turnout may be the deciding factor on Nov. 8. That usually requires field offices with phone banks, organized volunteers and a coordinated effort to knock on doors and get people to the polls.
To pinpoint campaign operations, PBS NewsHour compiled office data from 15 key states, speaking with state and national campaign officials, cross-referencing Federal Election Commission spending reports and checking local news coverage.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/trump-campaign-has-ground-game-problem/
kimbutgar
(21,103 posts)You can't watch any news nowadays without Cheeto being mentioned. Yuck!
magicnpoetry
(45 posts)Because he has been handed so much free media attention that he hasn't had to develop conventional strategies. But now that will be a problem for him.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)And this is how HRC wins.
RandySF
(58,670 posts)Between a 4 point win for Hillary and a 6 point win for her.
PJMcK
(22,023 posts)Johnny2X2X
(19,006 posts)His plan has always been to let the GOP do the heavy lifting for him on the ground. Doubt if the party will be able to keep up or have the will to.
Trump would need a clear lead to win on Election Day. I think Hillary will outperform her polls numbers by 2 points at least because of her advantages.
Gothmog
(145,046 posts)Trump could be losing 2.5% to 7% of the vote