Contact: Allison Dobson
Tour from ‘Sea to Shining Sea’ Brings
Kerry-Edwards Message from Convention Podium to Family Porches Across America
“Believe in America”
Tour Takes Kerry, Edwards Over 8,000 Miles through 22 States with 312 Electoral
Votes
Portland, OR – Over the last two weeks, John Kerry and John Edwards have traveled across the country, taking their plan for a stronger America from the convention podium directly to voters in towns and communities across the country. Over the course of the tour, over 300,000 Americans saw Kerry and Edwards in person and millions more learned about their plan to build an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world through their local television news and newspapers as the campaign blitzed the local media.
Marked by enormous crowds, front page stories and thousands of handshakes,
the tour took the candidates all the way from Boston, MA to Portland, OR
and cities and small towns in between. Voters in these communities were
treated to headlines and nightly news stories about the Kerry-Edwards plan
to strengthen the middle class by creating good jobs, their plan to provide
quality, affordable health care to all Americans and their plan to
make America stronger and more secure.
“Over the last few weeks, John Edwards and I have made our way across this country we love, from sea to shining sea, because we believe in America and we believe we can do better,” Kerry said. “And at every stop we’ve made, from great cities to the great Southwest, from the flag-draped front porches of Main Street America to the small family farms that dot the Midwest, we’ve met Americans who believe that too. Come November, with their help, we can and we will.”
Sample headlines from the tour’s over 800 local press articles:
• Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Kerry Preaches Jobs and
Values in Western Ohio”
• Detroit News: “Kerry Pushes on Issue of Health;
Democrat's Domestic Agenda Gets Applause Rally”
• Kansas City Star: “Editorial: Kerry's Plan
has Right Energy Ideas”
• Cedar Rapids Gazette (A.P.): “Kerry Denounces
Special Corporate Favors”
Meeting with Americans from all walks of life in forums ranging from front porch visits to huge rallies, Kerry and Edwards were met with October-like enthusiasm for their plan to build an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world.
On the tour, Kerry, Edwards and their optimistic message passed through 82 local media markets in 15 days and states with 312 electoral votes. They released their plan for America – “Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World” – in the early days of the tour and gave out 2,600 copies along the way.
Kerry and Edwards traveled by bus, boat, train, plane and helicopter through the battlegrounds. All told, they passed through: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee.
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The “Believe in America” tour by the numbers:
8877.22 – miles traversed by John Kerry and John Edwards on the Believe in America trip
Over 300,000 – people who saw John Kerry and John Edwards on the Believe
in America tour
25,000 – largest rally to date on the Believe in America tour in Harrisburg,
PA on July 30
22 – states John Kerry and John Edwards traveled through on the Believe in America tour
800 – local articles on the tour
82 – media markets included in the tour
69 – Number of regional interviews with principals
63 – number of local press who traveled on the tour
43 – buses used on the Believe in America tour
17 – train cars used on the Believe in America tour
7 – helicopters used on the Believe in America tour
3 – planes used on the Believe in America tour
1 – ferry used on the Believe in America tour
312 – electoral votes in the states John Kerry and John Edwards traveled through
2,600 – “Our Plan for America” books handed out on the tour
20,470 – downloads of “Our Plan for America” from JohnKerry.com since
the book was released on August 2
8686 – blog comments on the “On the Road” blog section
59 – blog entries from the road – one from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters
and one from Elizabeth Edwards
43 – scheduled stops on the Believe in America tour
30 – communities across the country where people came out to stand
beside the road, train tracks and ferry landing sites to cheer for Kerry
and Edwards
More than 12,000 – people signed up to volunteer for the campaign at
events throughout the 15 day tour
Crowd Size Reports
Scranton, PA - July 30
“[Mayor Chris] Doherty said the estimated crowd of 17,000 was the largest
he's ever seen at a political event in the city. He compared it to John
F. Kennedy's visit in 1960.” [Scranton Times, 7/31/04]
“On Friday, about 118 journalists rode from the Democratic National Convention in Boston and stepped off five large buses for a couple hours to watch Sen. John Kerry give a speech before an estimated crowd of 17,000 people.” [Scranton Times, 8/1/04]
Harrisburg, PA - July 30
“Democrats said Friday's rally, where thousands of people filled the
East Wing Plaza of the state Capitol and Soldier's Grove, exceeded party
officials' expectations and may have been the city's largest rally by Democrats.
Initial crowd estimates of 20,000 from Mayor Stephen R. Reed were later
revised upward by 5,000 people by police.” [Harrisburg Patriot News, 8/1/04]
Greensburg, PA - July 31
“…a campaign rally in Greensburg, where 7,000 people stood in the rain
to hear Kerry and his running mate John Edwards.” [Harrisburg Patriot News
8/1/04]
Wheeling, WV - July 31
“A total of 20,000 tickets was given out for the event by local Democrats
Mallett said. He noted the final attendance figure for the Saturday rally
was about 17,000 people, as determined by the counters on the security
gates people had to pass through to get into the Heritage Port area.” [Wheeling
News Register 8/2/04]
Taylor, MI - August 1
“Wearing a ‘Team Kerry’ jersey, Democratic presidential candidate John
Kerry joined firefighters and autoworkers in this blue-collar city Sunday
for an evening game of softball. Kerry got on base with a single
to left field and later ran across home plate. He said he was thrilled
to see the scene at Heritage Park, where 6,000 people greeted him at sunset
with wild cheers.”
[Associated Press 8/1/04]
Grand Rapids, MI - August 2
“City spokeswoman Annette Guilfoyle said police estimated that 20,000
to 25,000 people attended the Kerry event, which would make it one of Grand
Rapids’ largest political rallies in recent memory. Hundreds waved blue
and white ‘Help is on the way’ signs. About 4,000 people turned out to
see Bush, who spoke Friday only a few blocks away in a filled-to-capacity
auditorium at the downtown community college.” [Associated Press 8/2/04]
St. Louis, MO - 8/5
"There are more homeless, more poor, more people who are feeling the
spread of the gap between the haves and the have-nots," Kerry said, speaking
in the Union Station parking lot to a crowd that some police estimated
unofficially at 15,000. [St. Louis Post Dispatch, 8/6/04]
Jefferson City, MO - 8/5
Sen. Kerry told a crowd estimated by police at more than 6,000 that
"everything is on the line" in this election. [St. Louis Post Dispatch,
8/6/04]
Kansas City, MO - 8/6
A crowd the Secret Service estimated at 20,000 — aides called it the
biggest Kerry has seen along the campaign trail in his quest for the presidency
— filled the parking lots and the Liberty Memorial slope in front of Union
Station where Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, rallied the party
faithful. [Kansas City Star, 8/7/04]
Lamar, CO - 8/7
Before holding a rally in La Junta, Kerry's train stopped briefly in
Lamar, where he was greeted by hundreds of people as he stood on the back
of a Pullman train car used by presidents Truman, Clinton, Carter and Johnson
as they campaigned for office. [Associated Press, 8/7/04]
La Junta, CO - 8/7
Kerry, accompanied by his wife, Teresa, and running mate John Edwards,
told about 5,000 people at a rally in La Junta that people are tired of
working two jobs and going without health care. [Associated Press, 8/7/04]
Las Vegas, NM - 8/7
With whistle wailing, the John Kerry campaign train rolled into a railroad
station Saturday that Harry S. Truman used for whistle-stop presidential
campaigning in 1948. "From Sea to Shining Sea, Believe in America,"
said one sign on the side of the blue train that pulled into the old Las
Vegas depot at 7:30 p.m. About 8,000 people were waiting, many of whom
chanted
"Kerry, Kerry!" [Associated Press, 8/7/04]
Muskegon, MI (Ferry) - 8/2
Kerry later traveled to Muskegon, where he rode a new high-speed ferry
across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee. Cheering supporters interspersed
with a few Bush backers lined the breakwaters, and Kerry waved from the
top deck as Coast Guard and police boats provided security alongside and
a helicopter followed overhead. Out on the open water, Kerry stood at the
bow and held his arms wide in the pose made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio
in the movie "Titanic." [Associated Press 8/2/04]
Milwaukee, WI (Rally 6:30pm Central) - 8/2
After scooting across Lake Michigan by high-speed ferry, Democrat John
Kerry staged a large, raucous rally along the Milwaukee River Monday night
. . . "Everything is at stake!" Kerry told thousands of supporters who
packed into Pere Marquette Park and lined the opposite side of the river.
[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/3/04]
Miami, FL – 8/2 (Edwards)
"I can tell you, John Kerry will keep the pressure on Castro and support
those in the fight for freedom," Edwards said at a rally of about 300 supporters
at the James L. Knight Center, the first of three stops in Florida. [Associated
Press, 8/2/04]
Jacksonville, FL – 8/2 (Edwards)
Later, in Jacksonville, Edwards spoke to about 400 people at a convention
of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights group
that was co-founded by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. [Associated Press,
8/2/04]
Beloit, WI - 8/3
At his main event, the Massachusetts senator spent 20 minutes talking
and 40 minutes answering questions before a crowd of 1,700 supporters in
Beloit. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/3/04]
Dubuque, IA - 8/3
John Kerry brought a reprise of his Democratic presidential nomination
acceptance speech to Dubuque Tuesday night. However, none of the 4,800
people who waited hours for him to appear at the Five Flags Civic Center
seemed to mind. Wave after wave of roof-rattling cheers and chants punctuated
the Massachusetts senator's 37-minute speech. [Dubuque Telegraph
Herald, 8/4/04]
Davenport, IA - 8/3
Rain may have forced them to roll up their signs and seek shelter in
the lobby of the Radisson Quad-Cities Plaza Hotel in Davenport, but the
spirits of more than 300 supporters of John Kerry would not be dampened
as they waited for their pick for president arrive earlier Tuesday.
After the rain ended about 9 p.m., they headed back outside to begin their
vigil anew. Their wait finally ended about 11 p.m. as the Democratic
presidential candidate arrived after speaking at a rally of 4,700 people
in Dubuque, Iowa. [Davenport Quad-City Times, 8/4/04]
Baton Rouge, LA – 8/3 (Edwards)
Vice presidential nominee John Edwards had to shout over the cheers
of about a thousand boisterous supporters . . . [Associated Press, 8/3/04]
Alexandria, LA – 8/3 (Edwards)
Talk Sporting a Kerry-Edwards pin, Louella Zacharie expressed excitement
that she was among about 700 people Tuesday awaiting Democratic vice presidential
candidate John Edwards. [Alexandria Daily Town Talk, 8/4/04]
Shreveport, LA – 8/3 (Edwards)
. . . more than 500 in Shreveport, who waited outside in the evening
heat, even when the Edwards caravan was more than 90 minutes late.
More than 200 people waited on the side of the road at the Natchitoches
exit off Interstate 49 in mid-afternoon. No one left, despite the
relentless sun, at any of the outdoor locations. [Shreveport Times, 8/8/04]
Hannibal, MO - 8/4
"God bless Northeast Missouri!" shouted Democratic presidential candidate
Sen. John Kerry, as he was greeted by a sea of people chanting, "Ker-ry"
while waving signs and small American flags Wednesday evening in Hannibal.
[Hannibal Courier Post, 8/5/04]
Memphis, TN – 8/4 (Edwards)
Edwards told the several thousand people showed up for the rally that
"those of us from the South have a special responsibility, and we feel
the weight of that responsibility." [Associated Press, 8/4/04]
Little Rock, AR – 8/4 (Edwards)
About 2,000 people showed up at a riverfront rally where Democratic
vice presidential nominee John Edwards was introduced. [Associated Press,
8/5/04]
St. Louis, MO - 8/5
"There are more homeless, more poor, more people who are feeling the
spread of the gap between the haves and the have-nots," Kerry said, speaking
in the Union Station parking lot to a crowd that some police estimated
unofficially at 15,000. [St. Louis Post Dispatch, 8/6/04]
Washington, MO – whistle stop
"Change is coming to Washington," he said. "Both Washingtons,"
the Democratic presidential candidate said to cheers from a crowd of several
hundred people. [Associated Press, 8/5/04]
Jefferson City, MO - 8/5
Sen. Kerry told a crowd estimated by police at more than 6,000 that
"everything is on the line" in this election. [St. Louis Post Dispatch,
8/6/04]
Kansas City, MO - 8/6
A crowd the Secret Service estimated at 20,000 — aides called it the
biggest Kerry has seen along the campaign trail in his quest for the presidency
— filled the parking lots and the Liberty Memorial slope in front of Union
Station where Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, rallied the party
faithful. [Kansas City Star, 8/7/04]
Lamar, CO - 8/7
Before holding a rally in La Junta, Kerry's train stopped briefly in
Lamar, where he was greeted by hundreds of people as he stood on the back
of a Pullman train car used by presidents Truman, Clinton, Carter and Johnson
as they campaigned for office.[Associated Press, 8/7/04]
La Junta, CO - 8/7
Kerry, accompanied by his wife, Teresa, and running mate John Edwards,
told about 5,000 people at a rally in La Junta that people are tired of
working two jobs and going without health care. [Associated Press, 8/7/04]
Las Vegas, NM - 8/7
With whistle wailing, the John Kerry campaign train rolled into a railroad
station Saturday that Harry S. Truman used for whistle-stop presidential
campaigning in 1948. "From Sea to Shining Sea, Believe in America,"
said one sign on the side of the blue train that pulled into the old Las
Vegas depot at 7:30 p.m. About 8,000 people were waiting, many of whom
chanted
"Kerry, Kerry!" [Associated Press, 8/7/04]
Albuquerque, NM - 8/8
After church, Kerry spent 15 minutes greeting a couple hundred supporters
who gathered at Old Town Plaza across the street. [Albuquerque Journal
8/8/04]
Gallup, NM - 8/8
After spending a low-key morning in Albuquerque, Kerry attracted an
estimated 5,000 enthusiasts during a short engagement at the Inter-Tribal
Ceremonial in Gallup. [Albuquerque Tribune, 8/9/04]
Winslow, AZ - 8/8
Before Flagstaff, he made an unscheduled stop in Winslow, greeting
more than 1,000 people at the town's train station. "I saw
this sign, it said, 'Give us 10 minutes, and we'll give you eight years.'
I took it. They deserve to have a stop," Kerry said. [Arizona Daily Star,
8/9]
Flagstaff, AZ - 8/8
For the city of Flagstaff, it was practically the second coming.
Presidential nominee John Kerry arrived to screaming crowds in downtown
Flagstaff Sunday night, where an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 local residents
welcomed the candidate looking to unseat President Bush in November. .
. Lt. Josh Copley of the Flagstaff Police Department said every available
city officer,
approximately 30, was on duty for Kerry's visit. He added that police
estimates of the crowd were approximately 5,000 to 6,000 people inside
the ticketed perimeter of Heritage Square and Aspen Avenue. Another
2,000 to 4,000 people were in the downtown area outside the perimeter.
[Arizona Daily Sun, 8/9/04]
Lawrence, KS - 8/8
Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards on Sunday came
back to Lawrence to make up for a campaign mix-up. In back-to-back speeches,
he told thousands of supporters that John Kerry's election would unite
a divided country. . . He later climbed atop portable, wooden steps to
speak to an overflow throng outside City Hall and the Riverfront Plaza
that couldn't get into Abe & Jake's because it was too crowded. . .
By the time the candidate arrived, the rain had stopped and an estimated
crowd of as many as 2,000 people couldn't get inside Abe & Jake's.
So the candidate spoke for about an hour inside, then went outside to speak.
Many of the supporters who couldn't get in also heard the earlier speech
over speakers hurriedly installed to accommodate the crowd. [Lawrence Journal-World,
8/9/04]
Kingman, AZ – 8/9
A crowd that some estimated to be 6,000 showed up for a rally to support
presidential candidate John Kerry during his campaign stop Monday night.
[Kingman Daily Miner 8/9/04]
Las Vegas, NV – 8/10
"My votes show you that this is not an election campaign promise, and
(Sen.) Harry Reid will tell you that," he said Tuesday night to a crowd
of as many as 15,000 at the Thomas & Mack Center. [Las Vegas Sun, 8/11/04]
Henderson, NV – 8/11
That law's new prescription-drug benefit "has a great big hole in it,"
Kerry told 300 seniors at a recreation center here. [USA Today, 8/12/04]
Carson, CA - 8/12
Kerry seized on that language during today's roughly 35-minute speech,
delivered in a campus amphitheater before a crowd of about 400 guests,
including Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and former Gov. Gray Davis. [Associated
Press, 8/12/04]
Central Point/Medford, OR – 8/12
Like the patrol-boat commander he was during the Vietnam War, John
Kerry took his presidential bid into seemingly hostile territory Thursday.
But he got a friendly reception from a cheering crowd estimated at more
than 6,000, twice the number that greeted Vice President Dick Cheney during
a similar stop at the Jackson County Expo Park two weeks ago. [Statesman
Journal, 8/13/04]
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