Fiorina, Boxer Make Last Pitch For Senate Seat
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Creating an aura of victory was the name of
the game Monday for Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina, as the two sought to energize their campaigns for one last day before voters go to the polls.
With Fiorina trying to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the country, both candidates said the race was close and could depend on which side does the best job getting supporters to cast ballots.
"When you look at all the polls, we're doing well. Some we're winning by a little. Some we're winning by a lot," Boxer said outside a diner near Hollywood. "The truth is, the people have to
vote. If we have a decent turnout, I'll be back in the Senate fighting for Californians."
Fiorina's campaign was hoping undecided voters would come down on her side Tuesday. She appealed to those upset with the direction of the state and nation, saying Boxer had her chance to fix things, and it was time to put someone else in charge.
"We can't make things right by doing the same things over and over again," Fiorina told the crowd of about 75 supporters at a campaign stop in Elk Grove near Sacramento.
Boxer was teaming up with gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown on Monday, while Fiorina has three scheduled stops around the state.
Boxer portrayed Fiorina as out of step with most California voters.
"She walks in that far right lane. And that is not where the majority of Californians walk," Boxer said at a weekend campaign rally.
Fiorina has been telling voters in ads that she's prepared to oppose her party when it's wrong. The tactic seemed to take into account that Republicans only comprise 31 percent of the electorate in California, and she needs the votes of moderates and independents to get elected.
"I connect with voters on the issues that matter to them, like bringing jobs back to California," she said. "I connect with them by talking to them about how to get out-of-control spending under control."
At Boxer's first campaign stop Monday, she talked with diners at Patys Restaurant, a diner popular with movie crews.
Bob Neches, an independent voter, said he supports Boxer because he's disturbed by what he views as an overreaction by tea partiers regarding steps taken by President Barack Obama to help the economy.
"I think it takes time," said Neches, a North Hills resident.
"This was more than a recession. The country was in a mess and he did what he could to bring it back."
While Boxer has insisted that congressional measures helped avert a depression, Fiorina has pointed to the state's 12.4 percent unemployment rate as proof that the policies Democrats enacted during the past two years have failed.
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