Statewide Grassroots Tour Draws Support From Inspired Voters

Statewide
grassroots
tour
draws
support
from
inspired
voters
 By Meg News Channel In Graeagle, they were captivated by her vision. In Ventura, they called her a role model. And in Chico, they found her refreshing, in-tune with the issues, and real. In her August trek around California, Meg Whitman met hundreds of Californians and got a glimpse at their lives and the problems they face. And wherever she went, Whitman was met by excited voters who are attracted by her call for new leadership, and who are eager for a chance to pitch in and help. “We’re going to visit big towns, we’re going to visit small towns. It’s going to be much more about being out talking with people, about their lives, their businesses, their jobs,” Whitman said. “All this grassroots activity is very important because in the end it’s about voters. You’ve got to meet people where they are, you’ve got to understand their concerns and you’ve got to let them see you.” Whitman traveled as far south as San Diego, as far north as Arcata, and to a host of cities and towns in between. She spoke to groups of women, Latinos, business owners and political leaders. She visited Californians in their homes, on their college campuses, in their businesses, on their farms and in their boardrooms. Some had been familiar with Whitman for years and were eager for a chance to see the Republican gubernatorial candidate in person. Others are just now learning about her – and they’re intrigued by her business experience and her vision for California. As enthusiasm grows, voters turn out to help Whitman State Sen. Tony Strickland, one of Whitman’s campaign co-chairs, said he hasn’t seen this kind of excitement for a political candidate in a long time. Whitman’s candidacy is breaking barriers, he said – she’s a role model for young women and she’s a uniting force for voters across the political spectrum. “Right now everywhere I go people are talking about Meg Whitman. At this early stage of a gubernatorial race it’s unique that there’s so much activity and so much excitement around one candidate,” Strickland said at a recent event with Whitman in Ventura. “When you meet Meg, you love Meg. And it’s not just Republicans. Decline-to-state, Democrats – they’re all uniting around Meg Whitman because they know we have to turn the California economy around and she’s the best one to do so.” And those people are getting energized to help turn out the vote, he said. Californians are uniting

around Whitman’s vision for the state and looking to help her rebuild California. “It’s always been important to me to be involved in politics – it’s a privilege to not only get to meet and hear candidates but to help support them and to help get them elected if they’re the right person, and I think she is,” said Suzanne Southwell, an Escondido resident who recently met Whitman when she visited The Village Kitchen and Pie Shoppe near San Diego. “And I’ll do what I can – whether it’s talking her up or getting people to contribute to her campaign or to go on her website.” Michaelene Mansour has been a fan of Whitman for years. The El Cajon resident is director of operations for a nearby golf resort and says she’s been watching Whitman’s business approach and mirroring it in her own practice. She has no doubt that’s the best approach for California, too. “This is the second time I’ve met her and she’s been very down-to-earth and accessible, and honestly, you can just sense the goodness from her,” Mansour said after meeting Whitman at an San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce event at Cuyamaca College earlier this month. “I can’t think of a better woman to be the first woman governor of California, and I can’t wait to be part of the team to make it happen.” Rural towns welcome Whitman Inside the Grizzly Grill in Graeagle this week, nearly 100 local residents and diners crowded in to hear Whitman lay out her vision for the state, which includes focusing on creating jobs, reducing government spending and improving education. The rustic Plumas County restaurant, dotted with Republican mementos and paraphernalia, drew a strong conservative crowd. They laughed with Whitman as she told personal anecdotes of her upbringing and family life, and they cheered her ideas for rebuilding California. Leah West, chair of the Plumas County Republican Central Committee, said the fact that Whitman took the time to visit the small town (population about 830) was significant and meaningful to the organization’s base. The event also drew residents from surrounding Lassen and Sierra counties. “We feel like we have a rock star here,” West said. “We love the fact that she comes from a proven business background. She’s not an insider, she’s not a bureaucrat – she is a businesswoman with a vision for California that we all need to hear.” Linda Peterson, a Clio resident, said she looked forward to meeting a “woman who was powerful and empowering.” She wanted to see a candidate who will change the direction the state is going, and she believes Whitman is the person best suited for the job. Whitman’s grassroots efforts to connect with voters will not only play a role in the race for governor, but also in reinvigorating the Republican Party, Peterson said. “The Republican Party has lost such impact – it’s like this train that has stalled at the station – and we’ve lost so many people that represent this party that it’s going to take much more grassroots to bring independents in, to bring Democrats in,” said Peterson, who is a registered Democrat. “There are people like myself who have been thinking about changing the way I’m registered and it’s people like (Whitman) who are going to tip the scales.” In Chico, Whitman received a standing ovation from a crowd of more than 100 who said they rarely see statewide candidates pass through the town, home to Chico State.

“It’s somewhat unusual to get a candidate of her stature to come up here,” said Larry Wahl, a Chico city council member and an organizer of the event to meet Whitman. “We have to really work and scrape to get candidates to come up here from the statewide level so we’re really tickled that she did come up.” Wahl, along with others in the crowd, commended Whitman's grasp of the issues facing California, her economic expertise and her common-sense approach to jobs, the economy and education. “I don’t impress easily,” he said. “But she impresses me.”

Meg News Channel is a fully dedicated media team, which produces original video and print content for the Meg Whitman Campaign. To learn more, go to http://www.megwhitman.com/media_center.php Paid
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