Bush, Kerry to campaign in Davenport
Posted: Sunday, August 01, 2004
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) -- President Bush and his opponent, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, are scheduled to converge on this eastern Iowa city on Wednesday for separate campaign appearances.
The rallies may come on the same morning -- in halls across the street from each other.
"It will be the 3rd Street Duel," quipped Davenport Mayor Charlie Brooke, calling the possible tandem appearance an exciting opportunity for the city.
Bush is to take part in a campaign rally at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday in Davenport before heading to Mankato, Minn., the White House confirmed late Friday.
Kerry, after a campaign visit to Dubuque Tuesday afternoon, will be in Davenport, a city of 100,000 along the Mississippi River, Wednesday morning and in southeastern Iowa later in the day.
The campaigns have not released locations of their rallies, but they have reserved the large halls at the Davenport RiverCenter for Wednesday. Tom Cornwall, the executive director of the RiverCenter, said that both the Great River Hall and the Mississippi River Hall have been booked by the two presidential candidates.
Cornwall said he could not disclose which campaign wants which hall. The venues are located across 3rd Street from one another downtown and are joined by a skywalk. The Great River Hall is almost three times larger.
"We've been talking to them for the past week and neither has finalized any details," he said of the two campaigns. "They've told us nothing, but neither event is open to the public. They haven't confirmed who will be here."
While excited, Brooke also said he was wondering how the logistics might shake out and questioned what protesters might do if the two parties converge on the same spot.
Joe Taylor, the president of the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he has gotten excited about presidential visits in the past only to see them canceled at the last minute.
"If it's really going to happen, I will be thrilled to welcome them," he said. "If and when it is, I certainly would welcome the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 guests."
Kerry's stops in Iowa are part of a cross-country bus trip that will take him and running mate John Edwards through 21 states. Other Midwestern states on their schedule include Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri.
Bush is visiting many of the same battleground states where he and Kerry are pretty evenly matched. The president is gearing up his campaign in the weeks leading up to the Republican National Convention, which starts Aug. 30 in New York City.
The race is essentially tied in Iowa. A Des Moines Register poll of likely voters, taken July 17-21, before the Democratic National Convention, showed Bush capturing the support of 46 percent; Kerry, 45 percent. The poll's margin of error is 3.9 percentage points.
Bush last visited Iowa on July 19, when he attended a rally at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Kerry made a campaign stop in Sioux City a week ago.
Same-day visits to the same state -- let alone same street -- by incumbent presidents and their challengers have been pretty rare in history. On Saturday, Bush and Kerry were campaigning within 25 miles of each other in Ohio.
The rallies may come on the same morning -- in halls across the street from each other.
"It will be the 3rd Street Duel," quipped Davenport Mayor Charlie Brooke, calling the possible tandem appearance an exciting opportunity for the city.
Bush is to take part in a campaign rally at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday in Davenport before heading to Mankato, Minn., the White House confirmed late Friday.
Kerry, after a campaign visit to Dubuque Tuesday afternoon, will be in Davenport, a city of 100,000 along the Mississippi River, Wednesday morning and in southeastern Iowa later in the day.
The campaigns have not released locations of their rallies, but they have reserved the large halls at the Davenport RiverCenter for Wednesday. Tom Cornwall, the executive director of the RiverCenter, said that both the Great River Hall and the Mississippi River Hall have been booked by the two presidential candidates.
Cornwall said he could not disclose which campaign wants which hall. The venues are located across 3rd Street from one another downtown and are joined by a skywalk. The Great River Hall is almost three times larger.
"We've been talking to them for the past week and neither has finalized any details," he said of the two campaigns. "They've told us nothing, but neither event is open to the public. They haven't confirmed who will be here."
While excited, Brooke also said he was wondering how the logistics might shake out and questioned what protesters might do if the two parties converge on the same spot.
Joe Taylor, the president of the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he has gotten excited about presidential visits in the past only to see them canceled at the last minute.
"If it's really going to happen, I will be thrilled to welcome them," he said. "If and when it is, I certainly would welcome the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 guests."
Kerry's stops in Iowa are part of a cross-country bus trip that will take him and running mate John Edwards through 21 states. Other Midwestern states on their schedule include Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri.
Bush is visiting many of the same battleground states where he and Kerry are pretty evenly matched. The president is gearing up his campaign in the weeks leading up to the Republican National Convention, which starts Aug. 30 in New York City.
The race is essentially tied in Iowa. A Des Moines Register poll of likely voters, taken July 17-21, before the Democratic National Convention, showed Bush capturing the support of 46 percent; Kerry, 45 percent. The poll's margin of error is 3.9 percentage points.
Bush last visited Iowa on July 19, when he attended a rally at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Kerry made a campaign stop in Sioux City a week ago.
Same-day visits to the same state -- let alone same street -- by incumbent presidents and their challengers have been pretty rare in history. On Saturday, Bush and Kerry were campaigning within 25 miles of each other in Ohio.
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