At a campaign stop in Iowa City on Saturday, Sanders’ campaign said that volunteers have knocked on 500,000 doors in Iowa since the start of January.
Sanders’ Iowa State Director Misty Rebik made the announcement to a crowded coffee shop full of supporters after an acoustic performance from indie rock band Vampire Weekend.
Reacting to the news, Sanders told the crowd, “that is a very significant percentage of the doors in Iowa.”
Research into campaigning techniques has shown door knocking to be the most effective in swinging votes, far more so than direct mail and advertising. The human, face to face aspect makes it a powerful tool, and the Sanders campaign has been succeeded in harnessing its enthusiastic volunteer base for the effort.
The Iowa caucuses will be held Monday night. Recent polling in the Hawkeye State shows Sanders with a lead going into the contest.
