SULLIVAN — As a former Today Show co-host, Jane Pauley used to greet millions of television viewers each morning.
Now, she is traveling to cities and towns throughout Indiana to help Barack Obama become the next president of the United States.
Pauley, who turns 58 Friday, admits she is passionate about her new cause and her current effort to help Obama win Indiana on Election Day.
“As for battleground states, my fellow Hoosiers, you are in one,” Pauley said Tuesday during a visit to Sullivan’s Campaign for Change Office on South Section Street.
By the time she ended her talk, between 60 to 70 people had stopped by the small Democratic Party office.
“I can only pray that my state, Indiana, will be a blue state this year” and elect Obama president, she said.
She has visited the state three times so far to campaign and made other stops Tuesday in Vincennes and Evansville. Typical venues are coffee shops or Democratic Party headquarters.
She plans to return to Indiana on Saturday and stay through part of Election Day before flying back to New York to vote.
Pauley encouraged people to vote early and to help with the campaign in any way they can, whether through telephone calls or going door to door. “We can’t quit until the polls close at 6 p.m. Nov. 4,” she said.
While some polls have John McCain ahead anywhere from two to six points in Indiana, Obama’s support has steadily grown, she said. Through her visits across Indiana, she has seen that the Obama campaign here “is organized, energized and everywhere.”
Pauley, a native Hoosier, is best known for her 13 years as co-host on NBC’s Today Show, during which the show rose to become the No. 1 morning show in the country. Later, she co-hosted the popular Dateline news magazine and became deputy anchor to Tom Brokaw for the NBC Nightly News.
Pauley, who as a journalist had to remain objective in covering the news, said it was a difficult step to go to the “other side” and publicly campaign for a presidential candidate.
But this election, she believed it was not enough just to vote. She wanted to do more.
“I care about my country so much and I believe in Barack Obama and what he represents for the future of this country so deeply,” she said. “I felt I had to take that step” and campaign on his behalf.
She is not currently working in broadcast journalism.
Pauley noted that Obama has made 47 stops in Indiana this election year. “He knows where Indiana is. He knows who you are. He knows what’s going on in Indiana,” she said.
She has focused her campaigning efforts in Indiana. While criss-crossing the state has taken a lot of stamina, she described it as “the coolest thing I have ever done.”
Pauley said she has watched Obama the past two years and believes he’s the right person to lead the country. Echoing the words of Colin Powell, she said if Obama becomes president, “It will electrify the country … It will electrify the world.”
Under the Bush administration, “We’ve alienated a lot of our friends around the world and we’ve certainly emboldened our enemies … I think electing Barack Obama will cause the world to breathe a little easier,” she said.
Pauley’s down-to-earth demeanor was a hit with her Sullivan audience.
“We were just thrilled to death to have her take a few minutes to stop by and see us,” said Lynn Hamilton, Sullivan County Democratic chairwoman. “She was so kind and talked to us with such ease. It’s just like she’s known us forever. She did a wonderful job.”
Irene Loudermilk, 78, is a longtime Pauley fan. “It’s so exciting. I followed her all of her career,” she said. “She’s sweet. She’s so warm … She’s like you see her on TV.”
Loudermilk, who described herself as “a young Obama girl,” asked Pauley to autograph an Obama poster and a “hot for Obama” fan.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Election 2008
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October 30, 2008
Former Today Show co-host visits Valley to campaign for Obama
- Election 2008
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Vigo County election results
More than 44,000 ballots were cast Tuesday of the nearly 80,000 registered voters, giving Vigo County a 55.76 percent voter turnout. Voters who cast provisional ballots have until noon Nov. 14 to show proper identification in the clerk’s office. Members of the Election Board will certify the results by the end of Nov. 14.
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Obama triumphs, will be first black U.S. president
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YOUTH VOTE: Sarah Scott students elect Obama, Daniels
Tribune-Star
Students and staff at Sarah Scott Middle School voted to make Barack Obama president and Mitch Daniels governor during a mock election Tuesday. - Vigo picks presidential winner again Vigo County voters chose Democrat Sen. Barack Obama as president, maintaining its status as a “bellwether” county, picking the winner in every presidential election since 1892 with only two exceptions.
- Harrison Township opts to keep assessor Voters in eight precincts in Harrison Township opted to retain a township assessor under a referendum vote on Tuesday’s election ballot. That’s was good news to Mick Love, who will retain his elected seat as Harrison Township assessor. The final tally on Public Question No. 1 was 6,587 for a “yes,” which would remove the office, to 9,506 for “no” which would retain the office.
- House District 46: Tincher pulls out win The race between Democrat incumbent Rep. Vern Tincher and Republican challenger Bob Heaton for the Indiana House District 46 seat went down to the wire Tuesday night, with Tincher pulling out a win.
- Republican Daniels wins 2nd term as Indiana governor Republican Mitch Daniels defeated former Democratic congresswoman Jill Long Thompson on Tuesday to win a second term as governor, but he may need a supply of olive branches to advance his agenda if Democrats retain control of the Indiana House.
- House District 45: Borders wins close race The Indiana House District 45 race between incumbent Republican Bruce Borders and Democrat Rick Marshall was too close to call for much of the evening Tuesday, with the final outcome apparent near midnight.
- House District 43: Kersey remains in seat Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute, will remain in the Indiana General Assembly for another two years, as the 12-year incumbent defeated Republican challenger Ryan Cummins for the House District 43 seat.
- Clay County's turnout one for record books Clay County’s voter turnout was one for the record books, officials said Tuesday evening.
- Parke County incumbents retain their seats Parke County incumbents retained their seats in Tuesday’s election. Republican County At-large Councilmen Dale Gerrish and John Pratt will be joined by fellow Republican J.B. Butler, a newcomer who received more votes than Gerrish and Pratt. The three GOP candidates won over the three Democrats in that race.
- Nearly 64 percent of registered Vermillion voters cast ballots Vermillion County voters turned out in big numbers Tuesday to hand victories to Democrats up and down the ballot. Nearly 64 percent of registered voters turned out in the mostly rural county, which includes the towns of Clinton and Newport.
- Sullivan County votes Repbulican in national election For the second time in its traditionally Democratic history, Sullivan County voted Republican in the national election. Overall, Democrats saw unexpected upsets, incumbent Republicans lost a few offices, and voter turnout here was exceptionally high, as expected.
- Indiana State students await impact of their votes Ashley Roce sat in the Cunningham Memorial Library eating pizza with her friends, waiting to see the impact of her first vote in a presidential election.
- Indiana transplants watch from east coast Indiana has done what couldn’t have been predicted in 2004: It has gone Blue — and by so doing, the Hoosier state has broken its 44-year tradition of being a Red state, and helped put a Democrat in the White House.
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Voter turnout in Clark County, Ill., highest it's ever been
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- Incumbents easily win school board seats Three Vigo County School Board incumbents readily won re-election Tuesday. In District 1, Mel Burks and Jackie Lower retained their seats, defeating Larry Faulkner. In unofficial results, Lower had 24,321 votes, Burks, 19,253, and Faulkner, 11,383.
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- Rader wins Vigo judge Superior Court Divisioin 5 The winner of Vigo County judge for Superior Court Division 5 is Dr. Michael Rader. With 23,636 votes, or 56 percent, Rader defeated Republican challenger Dan Kelly, who earned 18,216 votes, or 44 percent. Totals are unofficial results from the Vigo County Election office.
- Allsup defeats Royer in Vigo Recorder race In a night that was friendly to Democrats, Nancy Allsup won the office of Vigo County Recorder, defeating Republican Bruce Royer. Allsup, with 26,486 votes, or 65 percent, celebrated her victory Tuesday night with friends and family at the Paradise Pavilion in West Terre Haute.
- Mansard wins another term as Vigo County clerk Democrat Patricia “Pat” Mansard has won another term as Vigo County clerk. Mansard, who has served as county clerk for 20 years, was busily working Tuesday night to finish up election results, but she took a minute to savor her win.
- FINAL: VIGO COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Final election night results from Vigo County
- FINAL: VERMILLION COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS 2008 Election results from Vermillion County
- FINAL: CLAY COUNTY ELECTION 2008 RESULTS Election results from across Clay County
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- FINAL: SULLIVAN COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS 2008 Results from Sullivan County
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NEW: Vigo County’s election record cited by Karl Rove
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