Busloads of Californians are heading to swing states. Can they make a difference?

WIth days left in a neck-and-neck presidential election, many anxious California Democrats are getting on buses to neighboring swing states where they hope they can make a difference with undecided voters. 

They know their solidly blue state is practically in the bag for Vice President Kamala Harris, but polls show the race tied within the margin of error in Arizona and Nevada. 

That’s why Melissa Hitt of Long Beach joined dozens of other Harris supporters early Saturday catching a bus to Las Vegas on an overnight trip to knock on doors.

“I know Nevada is a big state that matters a lot in this election,” she said. “I feel like even if a few of us convince a few voters, that could really make a difference.”

It’s not hard to find a bus trip this year to a swing state with the Harris campaign, the Democratic Party, left-leaning advocacy groups and unions booking travel for volunteers. That’s a step up from the kind of campaigning a committed volunteer can do from home, such as writing postcards or making phone calls.

The personal touch matters, said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez in a send-off speech to the Los Angeles volunteers last weekend. 

“Knocking on doors is the most effective way to flip somebody, the most effective way to connect with them, the most effective way to share your personal story of why you’re doing what you’re doing,” Gomez said.

“I mean, it’s not normal to get on a bus, to go and knock on doors in a different state. That’s not normal. But you know what’s normal? Caring about the country and your families and what you want to see,” he said.

To be sure, California is the biggest prize in the presidential election with 54 electoral votes. But the state has not backed a Republican for president since George H.W. Bush in 1988, and it is not in play.

By contrast, Nevada, with six electoral votes, and Arizona, with 11, are up for grabs. 

California Republicans walking for House races

California Democrats have sent volunteers to Phoenix, Yuma, Reno and more. California Republicans are not making the same concerted effort to win over voters in neighboring states. 

Instead, the GOP is working to win the House of Representatives, a task that runs through California because of several hotly contested races in the San Joaquin Valley and in Southern California.

“The best way for California Republicans to support President Trump is to secure a GOP House majority to help him implement his agenda in Washington,” Ellie Hockenbury, a spokesperson for the California Republican Party, said in an email. “With more targeted House seats than any other state in the nation, the California Republican Party is working tirelessly to compete and win these critical races.”

Some right-leaning political consultants acknowledge the Democratic ground game in swing states could pay off.

“The buses are not a waste of time,” said Russell Lowery, a Sacramento political consultant who has worked with Republican campaigns. “The low-information unlikely-to-vote person can make a real difference. Often it is the last message they hear that makes the difference.”

Matt Rexroad, a Republican political consultant, said Harris’ roots in the Bay Area and Sacramento could be motivating to California Democrats. He said it makes sense for the California Republican Party to prioritize House races as he ticked off the names of GOP candidates in hot races.

“So if you focus on one race, you’d say, ‘Oh, well, that’s a misallocation of resources.’ But people have different priorities,” said Rexroad. “You have a lot of very dedicated, loyal people to (candidates) like David Valadao and Scott Baugh and Ken Calvert, and they’re going to stick around and do those things here, because that’s who’s closest to them.”

Abortion rights motivates Los Angeles volunteers

Charlotte Barney and Lauretta Darling were among dozens of Angelenos who this past weekend traveled to Las Vegas hitting residential neighborhoods on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign. It was their first time canvassing. The mother-daughter duo said several issues are important to them, but abortion rights especially motivated them to volunteer.

Two years ago the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling that had protected abortion rights, Roe v. Wade. Former President Donald Trump has taken credit for that reversal because he appointed three justices who helped undo the landmark ruling. 

“I know a lot of people, I myself have experienced it, so it touches me, and to know that my daughter, my grandkids, my great-great-grandkids, other women to come will not have that right definitely tears me apart. And we need to get that restored,” Darling said right before getting on the Vegas-bound bus in downtown Los Angeles.

“Like we say, do something, and this is me doing something,” she said, echoing former First Lady Michelle Obama’s remarks from the Democratic National Convention.

Darling’s mother nodded in agreement. “Like it or not, whether you’re male or you’re female, you’ve got female relatives who may or may not be impacted by this ruling.”

Upon her return, Barney said the vast majority of households she visited did not open the door. She said she came across a few “positive responses,” as in voters who said they planned to vote for Harris. Others said they didn’t plan to vote. 

“We went back and forth. I tried to encourage them, but I think they had made up their minds,” Barney said about the nonvoters. She said she doesn’t know if she made a difference, but she said she feels like she’s done her part.

California Democrat goes to Nevada twice this month

They joined a two-bus caravan that drew from the Harris campaign, Latino lawmakers and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic workers.

In true LA-fashion, organizers also recruited celebrity power. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown, perhaps most widely known for her role in the hit sitcom “Community,” helped rally the crowd and traveled with the canvassers. Brown shared that she decided to join canvassers because of her experience as a caregiver for her father.

“I have been a caregiver for 11 years. My father is the most important thing to me. Kamala Harris has created something where I would not have had to put him in a board-and-care,” she said, referring to Harris’ proposal to have Medicare pay for at-home care for seniors who need help with daily activities, but who are still healthy enough to remain at home.

“I could have kept him at home with me and taken care of him, that’s my reason,” the actress told the crowd. 

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, a Long Beach Democrat, was also on the Las Vegas bus, having made a similar trip to Reno the previous week. The counties where Reno and Las Vegas are located make up about 90% of the votes in Nevada. 

Voters in Reno, many of them blue collar workers, were most interested in talking about the economy, Gonzalez said. “They wanted someone who can fix the economy for them. And that meant ensuring their wages went up, ensuring they had secure health insurance, ensuring they could fix up their house.”

CalMatters Deputy Editor Adam Ashton contributed to this report.