Aide to Livni: Riffraff supporting Mofaz
Sources in foreign minister's election campaign estimate real gap between foreign minister, her main rival smaller than presented in polls
Senior sources in the campaign expressed their fear Thursday night of complacence and a possibility that Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz's deployment among the party activists would exceed that of his main rival.
"People here are acting as if they're in Ramat Aviv Gimel (a north Tel Aviv neighborhood)," complained a senior source in Livni's campaign. "All the riffraff went with Mofaz, and here there is a strange feeling of calm. There is no noise in our headquarters, and this is somewhat troubling."
Livni later slammed the reported remarks made by a source in her election campaign, saying "I don’t know if this was said and by whom, but if there remarks were in fact made I reject them. This is not our way, and whoever thinks and says so does not belong with us.
Mofaz responded angrily to the remarks. "The racism coming out from Livni's headquarters is amazing, and taking us 30 years back to dark ages.
"Calling my supporters riffraff is a racist, ugly and shallow statement, which has no room in the Israeli society. I am proud of my supporters across the country," Mofaz said
Sources in Livni's campaign noted Thursday that senior Kadima officials who expressed their support for Livni have been investing great efforts over the past few weeks in an attempt to weaken Mofaz's position among the activists.
Aides to the foreign minister claimed that in many places in Israel, key activists affiliated with the transportation minister have begun indicating that the plan to vote for Livni.
"I only hope they're not fooling me," a Livni associate said Thursday, after talking to dozens of activists over the past few weeks.
Sources in the foreign minister's campaign have noted that despite the polls predicting a landslide victory for Livni, they will continue to fight "for every vote" in the days left until Wednesday's primaries.
The sources estimated that the real gap between the foreign minister and her main rival is smaller than presented in the polls. An internal survey vonducted by pollster Kalman Gayer showed that the gap stands at only 2,000 votes.
Livni, on her part, exerted great efforts to embrace activists during a Kadima event Thursday ahead of the Jewish New Year. Her advisor Eyal Arad followed her every move, ensuring that she was implementing his advice to "soften up."
