Swing County

If you follow presidential politics at all, you have heard news commentators constantly talking about swing states - those whose election outcome is uncertain. What you may not realize is that within swing states there are swing localities. This book is about such a place, a swing county in a swing state. It describes what happened when a Republican leaning Virginia county of 300,000 was suddenly thrust into this position in 2008 after being essentially ignored by presidential campaigns for more than a half century. Loudoun County - wealthy, educated, and fiercely independent - provided the push and edge that carried a candidate over the top. Decades of experience working for and with campaigns, as well as an exacting knowledge of "The Rules," propelled Rollie Winter into a historic collaboration with highly intelligent, personable, and skilled Marcia Carlyn. Together they harnessed the spiritual energy of an inspired citizenry for the call by Obama "to change Virginia and change the world." Over a period of 20 months, this grassroots movement grew from a handful of early believers to over 4,000 strong supporters. Working together, they developed creative ways to reach out to others, hosted over 1,000 campaign events, and raised nearly $80,000 for the national campaign. This book describes how a variety of devoted volunteers were welded into action - and why - and presents some highly amusing stories about their Loudoun experiences. It illustrates the promise of grassroots campaigns which can become more than the sum of their parts. In addition, the reader will learn about the power groups that comprise a full-blown campaign and the details of how a political party functions, selects its nominee, and consolidates its volunteer resources for maximum effect at the ballot box.