Edwards campaign fires back on Obama memo

The Nevada campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is strongly taking issue with a state-of-the-campaign presentation that Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe released today.

One Edwards aide said the presentation, which showed Obama performing well in key primary states, was part of a broader Obama attempt to combat what the aide described as an Edwards surge in Iowa.

“Since John Edwards has been surging in Iowa, Obama has been desperately attacking,” the aide said.

“Obama pretty much talks about having the most offices, staff and money. As we know, campaigns are more complicated than that and they are also about ideas. In Iowa, Obama has the most offices, staff and out spent us by millions of dollars and Edwards is still surging.”

The Nevada campaign for Edwards is going up against Obama, an Illinois Senator, and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, two well-known and well-financed primary opponents.

Edwards officials say they are focused on building a strong grassroots

organization that is built on four “pillars”: experienced organization, grassroots mobilization, political support and support from labor.  

In recent weeks the Edwards campaign has packed their state headquarters with experienced hands, including Oliver Gottfried, the former Western Political Director, and Chris Chafe, the Senior Advisor for labor outreach.

The campaign also says that it is engaged in intensive canvassing. On December 15 the campaign held a statewide sweep. And in a memo released to interested parties in December, Gottfried said the campaign had spent months identifying the issues that were important to caucus goers and was prepared to microtarget voters with information specific to their concerns.

 Edwards officials, meanwhile, tout endorsements from Assemblymen Tick Segerblom and David Bobzien. Labor endorsements have come in from the local chapters of the Carpenters, Steelworkers and Transport Workers Union and the Communications Workers of America Union, which together have memberships of 28,000.

 In focusing on building what it says is a robust campaign organization, the Edwards campaign maintains that it has a pathway to victory in Nevada.

“While some campaigns have decided to focus primarily on either one or two of these areas, we have focused intensely on all four,” said Nevada Press Secretary Adam Bozzi. “We believe that you cannot win without having a broad and deep campaign organization. Our campaign is in place to capitalize on momentum from strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire and win Nevada on January 19."