Three weeks after his father’s stop in Athens, Beau Biden visited the local Obama for America office Wednesday to encourage and thank volunteers for their efforts.
Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and the son of Vice President Joe Biden, spoke to about 20 people at the Obama campaign office.
The vice president’s son is one of the highest positioned veterans in the government, said Rob Diamond, veterans and military families vote director and New York State director for the Obama campaign, yesterday.
“We win these campaigns because of you,” Biden said. “We will be working hard from now until the election ends.”
There is an air of increased confidence in Democratic campaign centers after recent polling data showed Obama with a favorable margin in swing states, Beau said.
Quinnipiac University released a poll Wednesday showing President Barack Obama with a 10 percent lead in Ohio over his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
In fellow swing states Florida and Pennsylvania, Obama holds a 9 percent and 12 percent lead, respectively, according to the poll.
The numbers are a good sign, but the work is not yet finished, Beau Biden said.
“We will be putting blinders on our volunteers and workers till the end of the election,” he said.
Beau Biden, who served in the Iraq War, and Diamond, also a veteran, met with local veterans after the speech and joked about their shared experiences.
The Delaware Attorney General then set up in the phone bank room with several volunteers to begin calling Athens residents.
The calls, ads and visits are only reaching their peak with election season in full swing. There are just 41 days until the election; the voting registration deadline is Oct. 9; and there is less than a week before absentee early voting begins.
Just yesterday, both presidential candidates were in Ohio — Obama in Kent and Bowling Green, and Romney in Toledo.
Obama’s university visits affirm the presidential candidates’ push for the youth vote.
Studies show only 51.1 percent of individuals ages 18–29 vote in the presidential election, even though they make up 24 percent of the eligible voting population.
Beau Biden commented on the necessity of every citizen’s participation in the election process, especially among students.
“Every vote is crucial … there are people fighting for our right to vote and people fighting for the right to vote all over the world … voting is one of a citizen’s greatest duties.”
bm471311@ohiou.edu
