Elizabeth Colbert Busch stopped by a phone bank sponsored by USC’s chapter of College Democrats Wednesday night to thank the students for their support of her campaign for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
“What you’re doing is helping us push through to the end,” Colbert Busch said.
The student group has been holding weekly phone banks for the candidate, who is set to face off against former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford May 7, since shortly after she announced her candidacy for the seat.
First-year anthropology student Mary-Elizabeth Phillips, an intern for Colbert Busch’s campaign and a member of College Democrats, said reaching out to voters by phone would be “absolutely vital” for a Colbert Busch win.
“We’re doing persuasion calls, which target independents, so that will really help with the swing vote, which is extremely important in this election,” Phillips said. “The campaign is outreach-based. We rely on phone banking and canvassing to get to voters one-on-one.”
The grassroots tactics of the Colbert Busch campaign contrast with Sanford’s more media-based strategy, Phillips said.
“He’s visited a few major social organizations, but besides that, it’s been a lot of ads,” the Mount Pleasant native said.
Field consultant Dillon Corbett, who has been on board with the campaign since its onset, said engaging young voters, including college students, will be the campaign’s key to success.
“Young people will win it or lose it,” Corbett said. “Especially with the power her brother (Stephen Colbert) has. If he could get as many people to vote for Herman Cain as he did, he can certainly use his power to get young people out there.”
Phillips and Corbett both said the election would be a toss-up and that they think South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District would be a swing district.
“Elizabeth has consistently polled higher,” Corbett said. “It’s a tight race.”