Typically in the final weeks before the primary, campaigns coordinate their out-of-state volunteers.
They find them places to stay- staffers sofas, in-state supporters’ homes, the YWCA.
But with Ron Paul backers, it’s volunteers who have organized an ambitious campaign to provide out-of-staters with free housing while they campaign for the Texas Republican.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein has the story.
Arizona native Laura Lounsbury doesn’t have to worry too much about rent.
But in this small Hampton Beach house that has been sleeping ten, she does have to worry about the bathroom.
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2:02...when the light turns on, the fan turns on (sfx) so you know someone is in there. so we are just constantly listening to make a break for it as soon as the light goes off.
Lounsbury has spent the past month here, with her husband, their three year old daughter, their 20 month old son and Ron Paul supporters from Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
Oh yeah, she’s pregnant too.
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10:49 some people are like, ‘are you nuts?
When she isn’t canvassing, sign waving or phone banking, Lounsbury has been cooking breakfast and dinner for the crew.
She admits occasionally she’s wondered whether dragging her young family across the country has been worth all the aggravation.
But she says every time she excites another New Hampshire voter about Congressman Ron Paul, she realizes it’s been worth it.
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10:23...we are essentially selling Ron Paul, selling the message. the story behind people coming out...when the voter receives that, thinking ‘wow, this is amazing these people are coming from across the country.’
Sfx: waves crashing, people unpacking
Vijay Boyapati is helping a couple of new volunteers unload their suitcases and backpacks at a beach front home in Rye.
Sfx: people walking in
About a month ago, Boyapati formed the Political Action Committee Americans United for Freedom.
Boyapati says about 3000 donors contributed about $50,000 dollars into the PAC so anyone from around the country- even the world- can come to New Hampshire, campaign for Paul rent free.
Boyapati has named the initiative, Operation: Live Free or Die.
So far the inative has attracted about 40 volunteers who are spread across four houses.
Ultimately, Boyapati hopes to attract 1000 supporters, and rent out 50 homes.
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2:03...we want to do, reach out to every single voter that would be much harder to do in California, but we have a much better chance to do that here.
When told about the effort, a number of New Hampshire political operatives asked whether Operation Live Free or Die is legal.
Wouldn’t the rent be considered a political contribution?
According to attorneys familiar with federal election laws, a Political Action Committee can do something like this as long as there is no coordination with the campaign.
Paul Ryan is a lawyer with nonprofit, non partisan Campaign Legal Center in Washington DC.
1:40 if volunteers called the Ron Paul office in NH and said I want to come volunteer for you is there any housing available? And the campaign said, ‘sure call these people over here.’ And gave them the number of this supposedly independent PAC. That’s the kind of coordination for expenditure that would turn it into an in-kind contribution.
Both Boyapati and the New Hampshire Ron Paul campaign say there is no coordination.
Colin Van Ostern worked on the John Edwards and John Kerry presidential campaigns in 2004.
He’s impressed by the Paul volunteers passion, but isn’t sure it will change what happens on Election Day.
:56 I would be surprised if this is what makes a difference for their campaign. It’s good they have volunteers coming from out of the state...frankly most of the campaigns have that.
Van Ostern and other Republican and Democratic activists say the whole operation raises the question whether there is a lot of local support for Ron Paul.
And according to the latest UNH poll Paul is running in fifth place among Republicans.
But Stratham resident Jim Forsythe- who helps run the grassroots website RonPaulHQ.com says he’s not concerned about New Hampshire support.
3:31 you look at the signs as you travel around NH and drive around neighborhoods. On public property you see signs of all the candidates. On private property the signs I see are Clinton, Obama and Paul. We’ve just had signs flying out the door campaign.
The Federal Election Commission reports that Paul has raised more money from New Hampshire residents than any Republican except former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Arizona Senator John McCain.
But what the volunteers who have come are counting on is reaching the huge number of Republican voters who still haven’t made a final choice.
For NHPR News, I’m DG.
