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Election 2000, The Last Day: Michigan Co-Chairs For Bush, Gore Campaigns Discuss Presidential Race in Macomb County

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BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to politics as we shift our attention to one of those key battleground states in this year's election. It's the Wolverine State, the state of Michigan; 18 electoral votes at stake there tomorrow. Michigan considered critical to both campaigns.

And CNN's Mike Boettcher camping out there in Mount Clemens, just north of the city of Detroit. Mike's with us now live.

Hey, Mike. Good morning.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill, how are you? Both parties here, both candidates hope that they do better tomorrow than the football teams around here did in Michigan State, Michigan losing, also the Detroit Lions. So that's been the topic of conversation today; but also what's coming up tomorrow.

This indeed is a battleground state and people around here say, if you get it right in Michigan, you get it right nationwide. So both candidates really working hard here, trying to win this. The latest "Detroit News" poll shows Al Gore with a 5 percentage-point lead, 46- 41 percent over George W. Bush.

And with me now is the secretary of state and the co-chair of the Bush campaign here in Michigan, Candace Miller.

Candace, does that poll concern you? It's a 5 point -- most people say it's too close to call, but a slight lead opened up.

CANDACE MILLER, BUSH CAMPAIGN, MICHIGAN CO-CHAIRWOMAN: I think it really is too close to call. One of the things, though, that we're projecting tomorrow is quite a heavy vote turnout. And particularly in Macomb County, Oakland County, we're looking for up to 70 percent of the vote in those two counties, and 65 percent statewide here. So I think that's going to be a very razor-sharp margin for whichever candidate does win tomorrow. It is very, very close here.

BOETTCHER: What about that undecided? There's been a debate in both camps whether to go after the undecided or to get your core constituencies out there, where to put your efforts. Where are you putting your efforts?

MILLER: I think both the Republicans and the Democratic Party really have a very comprehensive, a very extensive get-out-the-vote program. And so I've never seen anything like it. And, of course, when you have the eyes of the nation really focused on Michigan and what's going to happen here, this is much a microcosm of the entire nation. And so both candidates, it's been like a retail politicking going on here. The people who are undecided in Michigan certainly have had a front-row seat to hear from both candidates. They haven't had to hear sound bites or commercials or whatever, they've been able to see both of those candidates and make their evaluation.

Of course, I personally think George Bush is going to pull the day here in Michigan. And of course we're broadcasting from Macomb County, the home of the Reagan Democrats, and our polls are showing that Bush is doing very well here in Macomb, which is very pivotal.

BOETTCHER: Speaking of the Reagan Democrats, do they really exist anymore? Is that an outdated term? Are they out there?

MILLER: Well, of course that really had its genesis in 1980 when Reagan did so particularly well here in Macomb County, which, up to that point, had been so heavily Democratic. But there have been a lot of changing demographics in Macomb County. Macomb County has -- these are people that work very hard. We have a number of different ethnic groups here, the heaviest population of the Ukraine in the nation right here in Macomb, a lot of Italians, a lot of Polish descent. And of course they're very focuses on education, wanting to make sure the next generation has the educational opportunities they may not have had.

Veterans' issues are very big here. Macomb hosts Southbridge Air National Guard Base, which is the last military base in the state of Michigan here. So those kinds of issues are playing here in Macomb.

BOETTCHER: Well, I thank you very much for your take on this. Now we'll kind of walk over to the other side of the aisle and talk to Debbie Dingell, who is the co-chair of the Gore campaign here in Michigan.

From your perspective, this poll is showing a slight lead for your candidate. You think it's going to hold up?

DEBBIE DINGELL, GORE CAMPAIGN, MICHIGAN CO-CHAIRWOMAN: Well, I do think it will hold up. And in the end, I think it may be the wee hours of Wednesday morning that we know that Al Gore will win. But we've always said that this was going to be a competitive race. And I agree with Candace that we both have very extensive get-out-the-vote programs. We ourselves alone are making 6 million -- have done 6 million pieces of mail, 3 million phone calls. We've got more than 8,000 volunteers knocking on more than half a million doors. We're out there in full force. But I think, in the end, we've -- we are, the Democratic Party, is a party of grassroots activists and we know how to get our votes out.

BOETTCHER: Now, there's a school voucher proposal on the ballot. The polls show it being beaten. Has that helped or hurt your campaign at all, having the school voucher issue on there? What's it done for or against Vice President Gore? DINGELL: Well, I think it helps us because the polls show that that is, right now, being opposed by more than two-thirds of the voters, and Al Gore is opposed to that voucher proposal. I think it has taken this election down to the local level. And Al Gore cares about making sure that all children have access to education and not diverting funds that need to be there to make sure that our public school system gets better and gets what it needs.

BOETTCHER: Do you think Al Gore is getting through to the Reagan Democrats? I mean, they went for Bill Clinton four years ago. Has he succeeded in holding onto them, do you think? Is there any issue that resonates with them that he's talking about?

DINGELL: Well, the No. 1 issue that resonates with them is Social Security. More than 14 percent of the population in Macomb County is over 65. And when you look at the issue, they know that Al Gore wants to protect their Social Security and put it in a lockbox and make sure it's there for them. I think it is an issue that does resonate with them.

BOETTCHER: Well, thank you to both of you.

That's the view from Macomb County, the birthplace of the Reagan Democrats. Heavy turnout expected statewide in Michigan. They're looking at about 65 percent here in this county. Macomb County could be as high as 80 percent. Very, very heavy, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Mike. Mike Boettcher live in there in Mount Clemens. Thank you, Mike.

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