Tedra Cobb visits Watertown on her ‘get out the vote’ push

Nov. 02--WATERTOWN -- Democratic congressional candidate Tedra L. Cobb is not sure how many stops she is making on her "get out the vote" effort over the next six days. It may be 84, or maybe 87.

Despite starting on this trek through the 12 counties that make up the 21st Congressional District before the sun rose Thursday, Ms. Cobb seemed as excited, if not more so, than at any time during the campaign.

"This was great," she said, settling behind the table of the borrowed RV that will take her around the district. She had just finished visiting with residents of Ives Hill Retirement Community; before that, Ms. Cobb was at Vito's Gourmet in the Square. Her next stop was New York State United Teachers, then on to Lowville.

"It was what Tedra wants to do, because it's really what she likes to do best," said Barbra Beekman, who is working with the campaign on the trip.

Ms. Cobb has run first and foremost on a platform of accessible health care for all, challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik. R-Willsboro, on her votes against the Affordable Care Act. On Wednesday, she released a new ad highlighting her daughter's health struggles and criticizing Ms. Stefanik.

Ms. Stefanik has consistently said she is proud of her record on health care.

At this point in the campaign, though, Ms. Cobb says it is more about her than her opponent.

"It's all about getting out the vote," she said. "I hope that people can see a little more about who I am and why I'm running."

Her message seems to have resonated with the residents who came out to meet her, shake her hand or get a hug.

Ms. Cobb at Vito's signed a palm card for a woman whose naturalization papers got lost, making it impossible for her to get a passport. Ms. Cobb had referred her to the office of U.S. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Then it was back in the RV and off to the next event.

Annette Craig and her husband Sherman loaned Ms. Cobb their RV through Sunday, another vehicle will take over from there. Ms. Craig serves as president of the foundation supporting the Clifton Fine hospital, and said Ms. Cobb addressed the issues she cares about.

"I'm very concerned about health care," she said, as well as environmental issues.

A number of residents came to meet Ms. Cobb at Irving Hill, some sporting Tedra buttons. One of these was Delores Raymond, who already voted by absentee ballot.

"I'm a registered Republican, but this year I'm voting straight Democrat," Mrs. Raymond said. As for Ms. Stefanik, "I don't have anything against her, but I think Tedra Cobb has new and fresh ideas."

Mrs. Raymond is concerned about health care as well as immigration, another issue Ms. Cobb has been vocal about.

At Irving Hills, Ms. Cobb also discussed Social Security, repeating a claim that Ms. Stefanik wrote policy to privative Social Security.

"The Social Security trust fund is solvent," Ms. Cobb said, People who earn more just need to pay more into the system, she said.

The Stefanik campaign said Ms. Stefanik never wrote privatization policy. At one point Ms. Stefanik served as a staffer to a Republican Convention Platform Committee that wrote a Social Security platform but was not a decision making member of the committee, according to Stefanik spokesman Lenny Alcivar.

After 20 minutes at Irving Hill, Ms. Cobb is off to the NYSUT office where she meets with a boardroom of union members.

"I'm going to hug all of you, it's how I get my energy," Ms. Cobb said when she entered. "This is the year we bring this seat home."

Someone asked what NYSUT can do to help, and Watertown volunteers talk about opportunities for canvassing over the weekend. Ms. Cobb herself will be long gone by then, keeping up her schedule of meetings through the weekend.

"We are going to be going all over the almost 17,000 square miles" of the district, she said, before being ushered on to her next stop by her volunteers. "I think this tour just wraps up a year and a half of meeting people."

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