Democrats seem to think that Republican Mike McGavick's campaign for Senate against Maria Cantwell is a lost cause. They should reconsider.
McGavick's strategy is to gradually build a likable image with a thorough campaign and avoid fleshing out most policy details as long as possible. That way he avoids discussing issues that divide Republicans and that could alienate the average moderate voter (things like abortion, Iraq, gay rights, etc.). The strategy almost worked for Dino Rossi's campaign for governor in 2004 -- a campaign that McGavick advised.
McGavick rolled out the personality offensive again Monday with another kickoff for a statewide bus tour. He's already made headlines by calling off attack dogs. "We're going to change politics and start by changing the way of the campaign," he told a crowd of about 50 volunteers and supporters at the campaign headquarters in Seattle.
So far the feel-good campaign seems to be working, closing McGavick's gap with Cantwell. His campaign website provides details about his statewide organization, a full calendar of events and exactly how to get involved. It's easy to tell who to call in Okanogan County, for example, if want to volunteer there.
Cantwell is already having trouble generating volunteers, according to the state Democratic leadership, yet her website still fails to provide any information on her campaign. Even if someone WANTED to get involved it's extremely difficult to find out how.
Liberal bloggers seem to think that McGavick's campaign is a long shot because of President Bush's unpopularity. Others have told me they're surprised at how poorly McGavick's campaign is being run, with its emphasis on civility. But McGavick doesn't need a majority to win. A Green Party candidate may take 2 percentage points from Cantwell, while a Libertarian candidate may take one point from Cantwell and two from McGavick.
Judging from its silence so far, Cantwell seems to be banking that voters aren't thinking about November yet. But it looks like McGavick's campaign is ready.