Even though Illinois’ presidential primary balloting is still about four months away, the robocalls have already begun.
Last week, automated telephone calls featuring the voice of Democratic contender Hillary Clinton began making the rounds of some Illinois households. The phone calls coincided with the September end of the presidential campaigns' third-quarter fundraising period, in which the contenders must report how much money they've raised. Those reports are traditionally viewed as a way to measure a candidate's success and viability.
In the calls, the New York senator touted her electability and repeatedly encouraged listeners to push the “1” button on their phones, which put them in contact with campaign staff. The calls were aimed at generating volunteers as well as cash, the Clinton campaign said.
But in at least one case, a call was made to an Illinois household in which none of the registered voters has voted in partisan primary elections. That indicates that even at this early stage, the Clinton campaign was also reaching out to independent suburban women rather than relying on the traditional fundraising tactic of using traditional voter lists of registered Democrats.
The Clinton campaign said the robocalls were conducted nationally during the end of the second fundraising quarter as well as this most recently completed reporting period. The campaign said it was not specifically targeting independent voters, but was looking more at the geography of “high yield” donors and other unspecified factors.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2007/10/clinton-begins-.html
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