Political volunteers take the fight across Md. line

Bobbie Monahan has a plan if her candidate, Barack Obama, doesn't win on Election Day.

"I swear to God, I'm going to Canada," said the 63-year-old homelessness counselor.

And with that, Monahan boarded a bus heading north. But not for the border.

She and dozens of other Obama supporters were bound for Philadelphia on a recent weekend, among the thousands of Marylanders who've been devoting time to the dueling presidential campaigns - and leaving the state to maximize their impact.

The concept of exporting volunteers and resources to competitive states isn't new. But state political observers say the scale, the impact and the stakes have never been higher than this year.

With the battlegrounds of Virginia and Pennsylvania just a short ride away, Maryland Republican and Democratic officials have been diverting more and more resources over the state line.

"I think this level of cooperation was almost nonexistent before," said Mike Cryor, chair of the state Democratic Party. "For the most part, we'd been operating as silo states: You take care of yours, I'll take care of mine. I don't think we had organizationally the strength to provide sustainable resources to our adjacent states before. But given the organization and the enthusiasm, we're able to aid these states like never before."

That could bode especially well for the Democrats. More than 180,000 Marylanders have signed up as volunteers for Obama's campaign. Each weekend more than 1,000 of them pile into buses and join caravans to chase the race across state lines.

Monahan's bus departed from the Northwood Plaza shopping center in Northeast Baltimore and took volunteers to Temple University. There, they received their marching orders, split into groups and started visiting neighborhoods to knock on doors and register voters.

For the Obama campaign, it hasn't been enough to outspend and out-register Sen. John McCain. Democrats have been determined to win the battle on the ground.

For years, campaigns relied heavily on television ads and direct mailings. But both campaigns are also preaching the value of in-person contact with prospective voters in the weeks leading up to election.

Technology has made communication and outreach easier, and, for Democrats, the enthusiasm surrounding their candidate has inspired many to join the fight.