Guardian 'did not swing Clark vote'

Republican and Democratic party organisers in Clark County, Ohio, focus of a controversial write-to-a-voter campaign by Guardian readers before the election, agreed yesterday that the newspaper had not played the decisive role in the poll locally.

But Dan Harkins, the chair of the county Republicans, said the campaign could have influenced turnout. George Bush came out ahead in Clark County on a swing from the Democrats, who won there in 2000, of about 3%, in line with national figures.

Turnout was the highest in living memory at 76.7%.

"I don't want to belittle the Guardian and its influence but the Guardian did not cause a xenophobic reaction here," said Mr Harkins. "What it did was remind people of the importance of the election. It broke the monotony and most people took it in jest ... it energised some Republicans, but it energised the Democrat side too."

Michelle Everhart, of the local newspaper, the Springfield News Sun, said the Democratic organiser, David Farrell, believed no single factor was to blame for the defeat. "He thought there were so many different elements, and not one defining moment in the campaign that really hurt the Democratic party."

However Mr Harkins told the paper he believed that the inclusion on the presidential ballot of a statewide referendum on gay marriage had brought an extra 5,000 conservative voters to the polls.

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