In visit to Grand Rapids, Obama's target is suburbanites

By The Grand Rapids Press

October 01, 2008, 11:29AM

Press Photo/Rex LarsenVolunteer Donna Gemignani, of Sparta, arranges hand-painted Barack Obama signs to dry at the Democratic headquarters on Wealthy Street SE. A room full of supporters stayed busy creating the signs in preparation for Obama's presidential campaign rally Thursday morning on Calder Plaza.

When Barack Obama takes the stage Thursday on Calder Plaza, he will deliver a message tailored to a critical constituency beyond the city borders.

Once a stronghold for Republicans, suburbs are the new presidential battleground as Obama seeks to build on support in Grand Rapids to challenge GOP domination in suburban Kent and Ottawa counties.

"I would call myself a born-again independent," said East Grand Rapids resident Dennis Maguire.

His front lawn is one of several in the neighborhood with blue-and-white Obama signs.

Maguire, 69, said he voted for Republican presidential candidates as far back as he could recall until 2004, when he bailed on President Bush to vote for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

Maguire said he might have considered a moderate Republican, such as Colin Powell, had one been running.

He finds those qualities lacking in Republican John McCain, while he thinks Obama offers a more temperate foreign policy.

He favors Obama's plan to cut middle-class taxes while raising them on wealthy Americans.

To him, issues such as abortion and gay marriage are less pressing than ending the war in Iraq or reviving the economy.

"I was just fed up with the way our foreign policy is being conducted," he said.

Local fundraising figures suggest broader support for Obama as well.

If you total the ZIP codes beginning with 493 and 495 -- all of Kent County -- Obama collected about $246,000 so far this year, while McCain collected $448,000

Download the complete map of 2004 and 2008 Kent County political donations (PDF).

Kerry took in $106,000 in 2004 to Bush's $476,000.

Ground zero

Perhaps few Obama supporters would expect him to carry an affluent suburb such as East Grand Rapids, which Bush won by 55 percent to 45 percent in 2004.

But, if he can cut into that margin and win places such as Oakland County, he could be hard to beat in Michigan.

A recent study by Virginia Tech and the University of Utah identified key swing suburban counties in a dozen battleground states as critical to the outcome.

"Suburbs are where the battle is drawn," said Robert Lang, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.

In Michigan, suburban ground zero is Oakland County.

But Lang said the name of the game for Obama is the same in suburban areas of West Michigan.

"You want to cut the margins. You do not want to get blown out in some of these counties."

Press Photo/Chris ClarkCrews build the stage and place barriers on Calder Plaza early Wednesday afternoon in preparation of the planned appearance of Barack Obama on Thursday morning.

GOP stronghold

Republicans are not conceding a thing.

"I can only speak for West Michigan and the suburbs here, but I think we are going to do overwhelmingly well here," said Kent County GOP Chairwoman Joanne Voorhees.

Voorhees expects McCain to do better than Bush in 2004, who carried Kent County by 55,000 votes and Ottawa County by 57,000 but lost Michigan by 165,000.

"In every suburb, our county commissioners and state representatives are Republicans," Voorhees said.

Analyst Lang thinks Obama may be better positioned than past Democratic candidates to wage this suburban battle. Obama performed better through the Democratic primaries among affluent and well-educated voters, traits that define the suburbs.

His cool, intellectual style -- perhaps a liability in rural and small-town America -- plays well with independent and moderate Republicans, Lang said.

"He strikes a lot of independent voters in the suburbs as a very pragmatic and straight speaker," Lang said.

But in suburban Ottawa County, Hudsonville resident Deborah VanDyk, 49, finds the prospect of an Obama presidency "unnerving."

VanDyk could be considered one of those "values" voters that Kent GOP chairwoman Voorhees believes will turn out in big numbers for McCain.

"I would be concerned for my children's future. A lot of our rights would be taken away over time," she said.

To VanDyk, issues such as abortion matter, ranking right up there with the economy and the war in Iraq.

"I think he is probably the most liberal senator we have ever had," she said. "I just feel that John McCain has the leadership to keep us safe in a crisis.

"Barack Obama just doesn't have the leadership or experience that John McCain has."

E-mail Ted Roelofs: troelofs@grpress.com