With 53 days left till Election Day--and barely a dozen till the first early votes are cast--the ground game is in the spotlight. (Be sure to see our video, "It's Our Time")

On the Republican side, the strength of our operation is unprecedented. And when it was deployed in Wisconsin earlier this summer in what Democrats described as a "test run," we proved we were up to the challenge.

After last weekend's Super Saturday--our third monthly grassroots mobilization event--the GOP has now made over 20 million voter contacts. To put that in perspective, we have already surpassed our 2008 voter contact total, and we still have two months to go.

As of Saturday, Republicans had knocked on 16 times more doors and made eight times more phone calls than at this point in 2008. To date, we have 282 Victory Centers and 620 staff fanned out across the battleground states mobilizing supporters--many of them first time volunteers--on a daily basis. This is no doubt a top-notch operation.

And it is thanks to the dedication of over 55,000 volunteers across the country who have given freely of their time to elect the Romney-Ryan ticket. We are incredibly grateful for the work they have done and continue to do. Victory is only possible with dedicated volunteers. So to them we offer the sincerest "thank you," and look forward to working with them in our Victory Centers for the next seven weeks.

This remarkable showing is a measure not only of the strength of our infrastructure but also of the enthusiasm of our grassroots. Voters are hungry for a new direction and eager to get America back on solid economic and fiscal footing. They recognize the serious consequences of this election and are motivated to get involved not just for themselves but for the next generation. That's why for months we've seen greater enthusiasm among Republicans than among Democrats both in polls and on the ground.

That enthusiasm for the Romney-Ryan ticket is also evident in our August fundraising totals. Together, the RNC, the Romney campaign, and Romney Victory raised over $100 million for the third month in a row.

The $111.6 million raised in August came from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Over 94 percent of the donations were $250 or under. After another month of wise spending and successful fundraising, we started September with approximately $168.5 million cash on hand.

With the conventions over, we head into the final stretch. Republicans are playing to win on an expanded map. For example, Wisconsin, which the Obama campaign won by 14 points in '08 and earlier this year took for granted, is decidedly a toss-up.

Nationally, voters continue to express more confidence in Gov. Romney on the most pressing issue of the day: the economy. Rasmussen found Thursday that half of likely voters trust Gov. Romney to better handle the economy. President Obama lags by seven points.

As last Friday's jobs report made abundantly clear, America is in desperate need of real economic leadership. Unemployment remains unacceptably high at 8.1 percent, and for every worker who managed to find a job last month, four gave up looking and dropped out of the work force altogether. President Obama promised hope, but far too many Americans feel hopeless when they see their lack of job prospects.

Mitt Romney is the only candidate with a clear plan for the economy and middle class. President Obama offers only warmed-over promises. And as our dedicated volunteers continue going door-to-door and making calls, more Americans will see that clear and critical difference.