Date: Thu, 24 Oct 96 17:15:02 EST From: "Phil Attey" Subject: HRC's Effort To In N.C. To Defeat Helms Begins Final Drive ________________________________________________________ NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: communications@hrcusa.org WWW: http://www.hrcusa.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, Oct. 24, 1996 HRC's EFFORT IN NORTH CAROLINA TO DEFEAT HELMS BEGINS FINAL DRIVE Durham, NC - North Carolina Campaign '96, the Human Rights Campaign's effort to defeat Jesse Helms, is shifting into high gear with fifteen days left before the election. The campaign has enjoyed a burst of volunteer support because of the excitement surrounding the race. Over 400 volunteers across the state have already contributed their time and labor at the campaign's six locations in Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro. Charlotte, Asheville and Wilmington. More than twice that number are expected to participate in the final get-out- the-vote activities. Mitch Foushee, Campaign Manager, attributes this remarkable participation to both the gay and lesbian communities, which have comprised approximately 60% of the volunteer base, and other progressive communities, from which the remaining 40% have been drawn. With less than two weeks remaining until Election Day, a wave of conflicting polls have stirred both sides of the U.S. Senate race. Every poll has shown Helms' lead slipping away, sending the incumbent and his supporters scrambling, while Gantt and his supporters have been energized by his continued rise in the polls. Particularly exciting for Gantt loyals was a CBS News poll released on October 18 which showed Gantt sporting a two~point lead for the first time. The polls have also emphasized the importance of the voters which NC Campaign '96 has been targeting. Though the majority of voters have already made their decisions, the race remains evenly split and only a small pool of undecided voters remains to decide the election. The NC Campaign began targeting these "swing" voters in August, contacting 130,000 undecided voters in the first phase of their project Over 50,000 of these voters have been moved into the persuasion phase of the campaign and will be mobilized for Election Day. An additional 20,000 voters from the gay and lesbian community are being contacted before the election by HRC. The campaign hopes these crucial voters will reject Helms and give Gantt a comfortable margin of victory. The Gantt campaign should also benefit from the unusually strong performance of Democratic candidates across the state. A News and Observer poll released on October 21 shows President Clinton holding an astounding nine point lead in this previously Dole-favored state. Governor Hunt also enjoys a substantial lead over his Republican challenger, as do many Congressional and local candidates. The strong Democratic performance can only benefit Gantt with higher Democratic voter turn-out and larger numbers of "straight ticket" voters. Many political observers have noted that Helms has never faced a strong opponent in a heavily Democratic election year and may be more vulnerable when facing a strong Democratic ticket. North Carolina Campaign '96 is still actively seeking volunteers to assist in their efforts. Volunteers for Election Day, November 5, are particularly needed. Anyone interested in helping to defeat Helms should contact the campaign at (919)572-9163 or by email at NCCampaign@aol.com. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. - 30 -