December 7, 1999

Local office for Bush pushes
to increase his support across state

By Amanda Novak
CyberCaucus 2000 News Service
Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa--At the local campaign office for GOP frontrunner George W. Bush, it seems to be an average day. The phones are ringing, and volunteers are calling potential Bush supporters and sending out mass mailings.

Eric Woolson, press spokesman for the Bush campaign in Iowa, said the local office is working on organization and increasing support for Bush throughout the state.

"George W. has been here about 20 days since June 12," Woolson said. "And that is quite a bit. Typically, when George W. comes, we will do a community reception and visit several small towns." Woolson hopes after the debates Bush will take questions, shake hands and ask for support. "We really encourage people to go," Woolson said.

"We are really working on the perception that we are doing so well that people don't need to show up to things," he said.

"We really want to focus on the importance of the caucuses. No one knows how things will turn out on Jan. 24, and we need all the support we can get," said Woolson, who stressed the importance of supporters turning out to vote at the caucus. "All of the votes count," he said.

"Volunteers send out mass mailings, look for supporters and make phone calls. We really encourage any supporters to volunteer any way they can," Woolson said. "(In the office) we are really working on organization for the caucus. We are working with county precinct leaders, but most of the work is organization."

Many of the volunteers are local college students. "We have a ton of Drake (University) students volunteering," Woolson said.

Becky Kulpa, a senior education major at Drake, is one of those volunteers. She began working with the Bush campaign before the straw poll at a a Republican gathering in Ames in August. "I had a friend in Dallas who told me the campaign needed help for the straw polls. Basically, at that time my job was to recruit people for the straw polls," Kulpa said.

"Now my job is to look for people to attend the caucus," she said. She finds most of her supporters at local colleges and universities.