Dems Suffer From “Obama Hangover”

Dem candidates hardest hit:

With an off-year election fast approaching, Obama is stepping up his commitment to Democratic candidates in hopes that an infusion of campaign charisma might pump up turnout.

What the party is finding, though, is that the electricity of 2008 is tough to recapture. Some Democratic candidates running for local office around the country call the phenomenon the “Obama Hangover.’’ It is proving tougher to recruit volunteers and get people to vote.

“It’s like the morning after the party,’’ said Michael McGann, a Democrat running for clerk of courts in the Philadelphia suburbs. “The party was wonderful and exciting. The day after it’s like, ‘Gee, I don’t want to do that again for a while.’ ’’

It’s more like, *groan*…..”What did I do????” What was I thinking????

Obama is trying to inspire voters with the “fired up; ready to go’’ fervor that made last year’s race riveting political theater.

But Democratic candidates are hard pressed to scratch out victories this year in the New Jersey and Virginia governor’s races, and in a congressional race in upstate New York’s 23d District.In New Jersey, local issues such as high property taxes loom large. Asked if an appearance by Obama would make them more likely to vote for Governor Jon Corzine, the Democratic incumbent, nearly three-quarters of state voters polled said no.

The remaining 25% said maybe…. if he would be bringing his “stash”.