DENVER—The presidential campaigns are calling thousands of Coloradans this weekend to get them to the Super Tuesday caucuses, but during the Super Bowl, most political junkies will give it a prudent rest.
For a while Friday, it appeared Mitt Romney’s campaign planned to have supporters call you, right on through the big game.
In an e-mail Friday morning, Romney for President asked supporters to make calls Sunday until 8 p.m. EST—nearly two hours after kickoff, set for 6:17 p.m. EST, for the game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants.
The campaign for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, expected to send out a revised schedule Saturday.
“Romney for President is certainly not conducting calls as families gather on Sunday evening to enjoy Super Bowl XLII,” Kristy Campbell, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said Friday evening.
Sen. John McCain’s supporters plan to call 5,000 voters before Tuesday in Colorado alone—but not during the Super Bowl.
“Are you crazy?” said Curt Cerveny, a McCain state coordinator, when asked if Colorado supporters would call after kickoff. “It would just annoy people. And a lot of people aren’t going to be home. Very few people watch the Super Bowl alone. You’d be calling some host with 20 people over. That’s just bad form.”
Romney trails McCain 83-59 in the national delegate count, with 1,191 delegates needed for the GOP nomination. In Colorado, a recent poll conducted for The Denver Post showed Romney with a strong lead.
Colorado delegates for the national convention won’t be selected until May, making Tuesday’s caucuses more of a straw poll. But that hasn’t stopped candidates from both parties from campaigning here.
Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign is focusing on educating voters on the where, when and how of caucuses in Colorado, said state director Ray Rivera.
But as for phone calls Sunday evening?
“We know you can’t call voters during the Super Bowl,” he said. “Especially in Bronco country. Even when the Broncos were 0-10 we couldn’t call.”
Same goes for Republican Ron Paul’s campaign.
“Nevertheless, there are several more days when the Super Bowl is not played between now and (Tuesday),” said John Zambenini, a Paul spokesman in Colorado.
Democrat Hillary Clinton’s biggest Colorado campaign events were planned Friday, Saturday and Monday. Colorado for Hillary was urging supporters to call voters using a database available via Clinton’s Web site, but didn’t give parameters for when calls should be made.
In Colorado Springs, McCain volunteer and stay-at-home mom Audra Craig has been calling voters from Iowa to Florida to get supporters to caucuses and primaries. She even called voters during her family’s Christmas vacation in Breckenridge.
Her goal this weekend: Call 100 more Coloradans before heading to a Super Bowl party with her husband and two sons around 3 p.m. Sunday.
She won’t call anyone after kickoff.
“People might not even answer their phone,” said Craig, 38. “They won’t be able to hear over all the screaming.”
