Online preview: Rove visits Rider

By Dalton Karwacki

November’s presidential election will be extremely close, but the Republicans have a clear path to victory, Republican strategist Karl Rove said to a crowd of students, faculty and community members in the BLC Theater and Cavalla Room Monday night.

Rove was a senior advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000 to 2007 and deputy chief of staff from 2004 to 2007. While at the White House, he coordinated the policy-making process. He is considered the architect of Bush’s 2000 and 2004 election wins. He spoke about a range of political issues at an event sponsored by the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

“It’s going to be a close, close race,” Rove said.

In order to win back the White House, Rove said that the Republican nominee will only need to follow what Rove described as a “three, two, one” strategy. In addition to the states John McCain carried in 2008, the Republicans only need to win six others. Three states, Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina, have historically voted Republican but went for Obama in the last election.

“Together they have 39 Electoral College votes,” Rove said. “If they swing back to the Republican column, it is a shift in the electoral college of 78.”

Ohio and Florida, both of which voted for Bush in 2004, voted for Obama in 2008, but by small margins. Their 49 electoral votes would create a shift of 98 electoral votes if the Republicans win in both. According to Rove, the Republican candidate would only need to win one of several other states to win the election if he carries the other five states. These states were New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada or New Mexico.

“That’s where the election’s going to be fought, in the states that I just outlined,” Rove said.

To read the full article, check out The Rider News and theridernews.com this Friday.