David Weigel writing in Slate (back in January 2014, well before the current cycle had started): That Time Al Gore Blocked Traffic to Win an Election; Or, Why Christie's Scandal Matters
In his memoirs, former Al Gore/John Kerry campaign manager Bob Shrum shared a secret tale from the 2000 New Hampshire primary. The vice president's lead had been slipping in the hours before Election Day. On the day itself, Tim Russert called Shrum to share/cheer about exit polls showing Bill Bradley heading to an upset win. Shrum consulted with his turnout guru.
Michael Whouley came up with a last-ditch scheme: Send Gore into areas of southern New Hampshire where there was a lot of Bradley support among upscale voters and commuters who worked across the border in Massachusetts. Many of them cast their ballots late in the day after driving home. Gore's motorcade -- candidate, press, Secret Service, and police -- could snarl traffic and keep some of the commuters from ever getting to their polling places or even trying to. We were perpared to try anything. But we didn't share the rationale with Gore; we just sent him on his way.
Soon Wholey heard from an irate vice president. He was causuing a massive traffic jam and it was time to call off this last-minute foray. Whouley was reluctant to tell him the truth, instead explaining that we had to fight for every last vote. But voters, Gore snapped, were having trouble getting to the polls. Whouley cleared his throat: "But sir, they're mostly Bradley voters." He didn't need to say anything more. Gore got the point and continued on, although there wasn't enough time to go on to the last stop Whouley had planned. The traffic was just impossible.
Here’s Bloomberg News covering the moment they realized Michael Whouley had joined Bill Clinton in Iowa earlier this year.
And here’s the Boston Globe talking about Bill Clinton’s visit to MA:
Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said he had to remind the Clinton campaign about state election laws after former President Bill Clinton greeted voters at a polling location in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston around 9:35 a.m.
Clinton spoke with voters outside the polling location before heading inside with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a Hillary Clinton supporter, and again greeted voters. State law says no one may solicit a person’s vote within 150 feet of a polling location.
Galvin said Bill Clinton also created a traffic jam outside a New Bedford polling location later in the day when he addressed voters on the street — but voters still were able to cast ballots.
Just the facts ma’am. Just the facts.