Yes, I'm Back! So How Did We Lose Ohio?

Steve Rosenthal of America Coming Together, who was responsible for our ground efforts in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other key states, thinks he has an answer in this Washington Post article.

This dispels many of the myths about the 2004 election, like that Rove had a terrific ground game:

Fourth myth: Republicans ran a superior, volunteer-driven mobilization effort.

Reality: When we asked new voters in rural and exurban areas who contacted them during this campaign, we learned that they were just as likely to hear from the Kerry campaign and its allies as from the Bush side. (In contrast, regular voters reported more contact from the GOP.)

Then perhaps it was conservative religious groups or pro-life organizations or the National Rifle Association that reached these new Republican voters? No, according to our post-election polling; only 20 percent of exurban and rural Ohio voters reported that they had been contacted by someone from their church, and only slightly higher percentages were contacted by conservative organizations. In contrast, these same voters in the least unionized regions of Ohio were more likely to have been contacted by a labor union.