Our Camapign Manger just shared this memo with us. Here it is for your review.

I think you'll share my sentiment...SWEET!

From: Dave Contarino
To: Richardson Campaign Senior Staff
Subject: Iowa Momentum

As you know, we are well positioned for a big upset on caucus night. The biggest hurdle we will face in bringing our supporters home will be questions about viability on the ground. Here are the numbers we have confirmed to address this directly:

• Momentum! Every crowd down the stretch has been overflow and standing room only. In the last 24 hours, over 350 in Ames, 500 in Des Moines with voters lined up outside waiting for a chance to come inside to meet the Governor or have their pictures taken with him as he departs. In some cases, we are getting triple (Onawa and Carroll) the size being expected by local organizers. The Governor's Des Moines speech was interrupted by raucous applause at least a dozen times, and I don't know if I've seen a more excited crowd. When he finished his speech, the Governor walked into the crowd and was immediately swarmed by supporters. It took him more than twenty minutes to leave the event because there were so many people who wanted to talk to the Governor.
• We have over 2,000 organizers, staffers and volunteers across the state.
• On caucus night we'll have over 1,500 precinct captains with over 90% of the state's delegates covered.
• We have made well over half a million phone calls and knocked on more than 200,000 doors.
• We have already confirmed over 18,000 caucus supporters through pledge cards, phone confirmations and home door signups. We expect to reach 22,000 by caucus night. That number alone without any additional unidentified support will get us nearly 20% on caucus night based on previous turnout numbers.
• And we're the confirmed second choice of at least 25% of the caucus goers.
• Our nightly calling is showing a surge. In some precincts, we see 25% of the undecideds breaking our way. We have been moving significant numbers of leaners from the Biden, Obama, Edwards and Clinton columns into our own. Our internal data shows that the Iraq message has been particularly successful in bringing voters to our side. So push it on caucus night! 2013 is far too long to wait for our troops to come home!

Quotes from the media:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071230/NEWS/71230007/-1/iowap

William Petroski, Des Moines Register

“Democrat Bill Richardson always jokes he's no rock star, but he got treated like one today as a boisterous crowd of about 400 people cheered, whistled and waved Richardson signs at a campaign rally in downtown Des Moines.”

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/politics_nation/2007/12/richmentum_1.html

Reid Wilson, Real Clear Politics

"If the big crowd on a frigid weekend afternoon -- when most rational people are snuggly watching football games -- is any indication, RichMentum may be the next buzz word of the 2008 campaign.”

Other stories:

http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/502145.html

http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/501075.html?nav=5005

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/12/30/politics/horserace/entry3657586.shtml