Harsdorf, Moore Mobilize Supporters to Vote

The campaigns of Sen. Sheila Harsdorf and her recall opponent, Shelly Moore, are busy today connecting with potential voters—through phone calls, sign waiving and door-to-door canvassing—in an effort to spur their supporters to turn out to the polls.

The Harsdorf campaign is focusing on phone calls and sign waiving, while the Moore campaign is putting a concerted effort into door-to-door canvassing.

“We have a large room for phones and we have people on the street—lots of them—offering ride, reminding people to vote, etc.,” said Susan Stori, the Sergeant-at-Arms for the St. Croix County Democrats.

Between 150 and 200 people have been volunteering a day for the Moore campaign, said Cathy Leaf, the chair of the St. Croix County Democrats.

Nathan Duerkop, the Harsdorf campaign spokesman, declined to estimate the number of volunteers, but said the figure “is a lot.”

The Moore campaign is offering voters rides to the poll. Duerkop said “we don’t have a specific program in place for that.”

Duerkop said that there was no model for expected voter turnout since an August election is unprecedented.

“We are making phone calls here and encouraging people to get out and exercise their right,” he said.

Volunteers for We Are Wisconsin have knocked on more than 30,000 doors since Saturday in Senate District 10, said Christopher Nulty, a spokesman for the coalition.

“We focused on people we’ve identified personally as likely to vote for Shelly,” Nulty said.

A few minutes before noon, three Harsdorf supporters stood outside Harsdorf’s Hudson campaign office on Second Street, sending messages to passing traffic with “Vote Today Sheila Harsdorf” signs as cars honked intermittently.

“We’re backing Sheila because if we don’t, we’re not going to have a government,” Sue Brown of Hudson said.

Elisabeth Friesen was planning on waiving signs all over Hudson, though she did not want to disclose the exact locations.

“I don’t want anyone else to know where we’re going to be because the enemy always comes and takes our spot,” she said.

Joyce Hall took her daughter to vote Tuesday morning before heading to Moore’s Hudson headquarters to work the phone bank.

“I reminded everyone in my house that they’d better vote or they won’t have a place to live,” she said.

Hall said she supports Moore because she does not think Harsdorf is a proponent of public education.

“Sheila’s looking to privatize education, and that concerns me,” she said.