McCain camp keeping busy in Prince William

Volunteers inside the John McCain campaign office in Gainesville used two main words to describe the atmosphere there Monday: busy and optimistic.

"This office has a great camaraderie. There's an upbeat spirit and a lot of excitement," campaign volunteer and Manassas resident Carolyn Malenick said. "There's a sense among everyone that it's not over until it's over."

With less than 24 hours to go before the presidential election, volunteers in the office—tucked in a Gainesville shopping center—were busy Monday making phone calls, assembling signs and mapping their strategy for election day.

"Here in this office, we're working on getting out the vote, doing some door-to-door canvassing, and just organizing people and getting them to the polls," Bristow resident Dena Blaylock said.

Blaylock estimated that she's spent about 100 hours in the past month campaigning with the Republican Party.

"This is the first [campaign] I've done any major work for, and it's been a very wonderful ex-perience," said Blaylock, who wore a pink "Team Sarah" T-shirt Monday. "I've been meeting so many people who have such similar beliefs. We all want to keep America free."

Across the county, Dale City residents Charlotte Cosgriff and Dan Donley spent part of Monday morning helping assemble about 200 McCain-Palin yard signs at the campaign's Woodbridge office.

Cosgriff said she planned to help make campaign phone calls Monday, but ended up making signs outside instead because there were too many volunteers packed inside the office.

"Every day it's been like that. There are a whole lot of people who want to help out," Cosgriff said.

Cosgriff said McCain's campaign is the first she's volunteered for.

"It's an important election and we just hope people get out and vote," Donley said. "And vote for McCain."

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.