Edwards camp plans targeted canvassing

If you've ever gotten a phone call from John Edwards' presidential campaign, and you told them you weren't sure which candidate you prefer, you're probably going to get a knock on your door this weekend.

An earnest volunteer will give you a leaflet on whatever issue is most important to you, detailing the former North Carolina senator's proposals. It's part of what the campaign says is an "advanced microtargeting" canvass effort that about 400 volunteers across the state will undertake on Saturday.

All the major Democratic campaigns are canvassing more or less constantly all over Nevada, but Edwards' campaign says this effort will stand out because it's a coordinated one-day blitz with a special way of reaching out to voters.

Edwards canvassers knocking on doors in heavily Democratic areas will be equipped with coded lists telling them which households have been contacted by the campaign and said they were undecided, and what issue the residents said they cared about most. The volunteers will be carrying one-page briefings on major issues that they can then hand out.

The campaign says this is a tailored way to connect with voters on matters of substance.

Other campaigns also have special plans for this weekend. Supporters of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton will be joined Saturday and Sunday by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, while Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is bringing in foreign policy expert Samantha Power.

One of Republican candidate Mitt Romney's sons, Josh Romney, is in Nevada today and Saturday.

In a conference call with Nevada media on Thursday, Edwards' national campaign manager, David Bonior, called the effort "the centerpiece of our strategy for the final month" leading up to the Jan. 19 presidential caucuses here.

A recent Review-Journal poll found Edwards with just 9 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers' support here. But Bonior argued Edwards is still competitive for several reasons. He said prior contests in Iowa and New Hampshire will change the race; pollsters can't be sure who will attend the first-time early caucuses; most voters remain undecided; and Edwards is the second choice of many voters, which is an important consideration in caucus mechanics.

Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, an Edwards supporter, said that volunteers walking neighborhoods have found that "most people's support for a candidate is very weak, and about 75 percent could be persuaded to support us."

Obama and Clinton both started advertising on local television in Nevada this week. The Edwards campaign, which has less money, plans to eventually air TV commercials here, but not at this time, Bonior said.