There seems to be a consensus that last week’s storm, which devastated the northeastern United States, will have an impact on the upcoming presidential election. However, was it a gift for incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama?
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie indicated that. Guthrie explained that when the contest is this tight anything can sway the race one way or another.
“[The election] could change on a dime if people start feeling that the federal response isn’t what it should be,” Guthrie said. “But when you have a race this tight, things like a hurricane — this can move the needle when you’re talking about a race that’s so close.”
But she went on to add that strategically, it will benefit Obama since his campaign was geared to turn out his base and now he has an opening to win over so-called “middle-of-the-road voters.”
“And I think it was an important moment for the president because in the last three or four weeks of the campaign, I don’t think he was going out of his way to appeal to independents whatsoever,” Guthrie continued.
“This is a campaign built to turn out the base of the party. And here was a moment, handed to him seemingly from above, where he could look like that strong, independent, steady in a storm, very appealing to the middle-of-the-road voters. And I might add to unmarried women voters who are going to be very key in this election.”