Bush arriving amid voter turnout push (Kleeb vs Republican Adrian Smith)

[Omaha Steve]

Reg req; http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2274419

Published Sunday
November 5, 2006

Bush arriving amid voter turnout push

BY ROBYNN TYSVER

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Nebraska Republicans hope President Bush's visit today to Grand Island will motivate their voter base, while Democrats hope a little of the anti-GOP wave rolling across parts of the nation laps into Nebraska.

With two days to Election Day, both parties were turning their attention to getting their supporters to the polls and unleashing scores of volunteers to knock on doors and make telephone calls.

For the Republicans, Bush's trip is seen as a boon to their get-out-the-vote effort and, especially, their high-profile fight to keep the 3rd Congressional District in GOP hands.

Democrat Scott Kleeb has picked up steam and national interest in his quest to end the GOP's 48-year dominance in Nebraska's western district. Kleeb is running against Republican Adrian Smith.

FULL story at link above.

[Go Big Red Huskers]

1. Here in the 3rd District...

I know no one voting for Smith. Our good fortune is that he (Smith) was such an ineffective legislator in Lincoln.

I just hope and Pray that "W" will not be able to scare people into changing their vote. Kleeb is on TV thanking everyone he has met (the ad is running quite a bit) and the Smith ad is classic republican...negative. You would be surprised at how many "Republican's for Kleeb" bumper stickers are out here!

Basically, people are saying that Scott Kleeb is Nebraska's best chance for a future President...

:toast:

Here's to those people being right and everyone voting Kleeb for Congress!

[Omaha Steve]

2. Welcome to the DU.

I've given to Scott's campaign twice after meeting him.

[Go Big Red Huskers]

3. Thanks

Scott really seems like an upstanding guy, and people are noticing!

We'll see what tomorrow brings, with "W" in town...

[mom cat]

4. Dimson is helping Dems wherever he goes! Take the visit as a good sign and use it to link the repub

to dimson's failed policies. Good luck and welcome to DU. :hi:

[prairie populist]

5. Smith is such a poor candidate, arrogant and smug ...

The campaign stunt he pulled at the Polk County Courthouse earlier this month only reveals he already has that "I'm above the law" attitude that has gotten this whole crew of Repugs caught up in their scams and scandals.

For anyone who missed the posting the NebraskaDemocrats.org web site:

Candidate accused of campaign infraction
By Adrian Sanchez/[e-mail]

OSCEOLA – The sign on the door notifying people the Polk County Courthouse was a polling place apparently did not stop 3rd District candidate Adrian Smith from making an appearance Oct. 24.

The sign read: Notice: The county clerk’s office has received the absent ballots, making the courthouse a polling place. Therefore, campaigning and campaign materials are prohibited in and around building.

A letter to The Telegram received Wednesday from Margaret Norton stated she was “perplexed” by Smith’s decision to enter the building even though a sign was posted. She said in the letter Smith was repeatedly warned he was not allowed to campaign in or around the building. The letter states Smith “shook hands all around and asked for votes in the coming election.”

Norton, a registered Republican and former Polk County superintendent, said the incident was brought to her attention by a friend and former county clerk who was very upset about the alleged violation.

“I had a concern because I knew it was wrong, it was illegal” and that was the reason she wrote the letter, Norton said, plus “I like Scott Kleeb,” the Third District Democratic Congressional candidate.

Clerk Magistrate Verna Davis, a registered Democrat, said Smith approached her in her office to ask for her vote.

“He actually came into my office and asked me to vote for him and gave me a campaign folder,” Davis said. “I threw it away right away, I guess I should have kept it.”

She said she was “mortified” a state legislator “ignored the fact it was a polling place.”

The 3rd District Republican candidate said Thursday the complaint was a partisan attempt by Democrats to undermine his campaign and the statements by Davis were “wrong, factually wrong.”

“This is a partisan attack, and I hope (voters) are not going to fall into that trap,” Smith said. “The Democrats have lodged a complaint that is based on a partisan tone.”

“This is a non-issue,” he said. “Democrats are very critical, and they are obviously worried.”

Smith said when he was in the courthouse no one was voting at the time, and he walked around the building to meet people.

“I introduce myself and ask people for their vote wherever I go,” he said. “I want to emphasize the fact that once it became an issue, we left immediately.”

Any person found in violation of electioneering laws can be charged with a Class V misdemeanor and may face a maximum fine of $100.

At the time of the incident, Smith was in Osceola to campaign at CJ’s, a restaurant and local gathering place. Ray Norris said there was some down time between the two appointments at CJ’s so he and Jason Klein, both registered Republicans, wanted to give Smith a tour of the area, including the historic Polk County Courthouse.

“I told him about the Polk County Courthouse and all the marble inside,” Norris said. “We wanted to give him a tour, we didn’t go to campaign. I didn’t see him hand out any campaign material.”

Klein said he didn’t “believe he gave any material out or said vote for me. He asked if anyone was in there voting and they said ‘no.’”

Norris said Smith was told by the county clerk he probably shouldn’t be there.

Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale said reports of such incidents are valuable to his office, but any investigation would have to be done by local authorities.

“(Deputy Secretary of State for Elections) Neal Erickson and I have faced this issue a number of times and have determined our office policy is we will not conduct an investigation because we are not a law enforcement office,” Gale said. “Such matters would be turned over to the local law enforcement office for investigation and they would make a decision.”

Polk County Assessor Linda Anderson, a registered Republican, said Smith visited her office and shook hand with her, but understood it as a polite gesture between two individuals.