The PSOE contains the euphoria and clings to the fact that PP and Vox do not add up: "The blocks are more equal than it seems"

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Pedro Sánchez enters the Gustavo Freire Auditorium in Lugo. He greets his supporters. A woman exposes a dog to him. The socialist lock caresses him. It is not a casual greeting. It is the attempt to overturn an adverse scenario. "Perro Sanxe" is the way in which certain sectors have wanted to disqualify the President of the Government in recent times. The PSOE has wanted to turn contempt into an argument in favor. "More knows the dog sanxe by dog than by sanxe", joked yesterday from the PSOE. The leader himself posted a photo in the gardens of La Moncloa with two dogs: "Happy World Dog Day."

The same thing has happened with polls and electoral photography. The Socialists, despite the fact that the numbers insist on the opposite, are convinced that victory is still possible, despite the fact that all the polls, except the CIS, granted the victory to the PP. They believe that the progressive bloc – including the nationalists – could once again be the one that pilots governability.

On this point they agree both in the team of Sánchez and positions and leaders of the party that show more misgivings about the strategy of the campaign. "The two blocs – left and right – are very evenly matched. More than it might seem," say ministers and territorial leaders. Sources of the socialist leadership also show conviction that there will be no blockade. But not because they are not going to facilitate a PP government, but because their bloc will add up.

That optimism comes to account that in the engine room of the PSOE they are convinced that in recent days they are mobilizing votes in their favor, left-wing votes and dissatisfied with the PP for the pacts with Vox. It should be remembered that since Monday it is forbidden to publish surveys. To that optimism, to that expectation of the burning nail of victory, Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency, gives voice: "The campaign has gone very well for the PSOE. Let's go further. There is a background current that is causing in recent days there is a mobilization of progressive people, but also of people who have never voted for the PSOE but who want Spain not to look back, "in reference to the PP-Vox pacts.

Sánchez insisted this Friday at the closing rally of the campaign in Getafe that his pool and his bet is that the PSOE will be first force and Add third. And that they will be able to reissue the government coalition. "We keep climbing. If the trend is maintained we can tie or stay only two or three deputies of the PP, "they point out from the team of the socialist candidate.

"We had the best campaign. We fell and got up and pedaled against the clock and crossed all the flying goals and climbed all the unimaginable ports. And we have a few meters left to reach the final sprint and we are going to do it on July 23. We are going to win the elections until the last pedal stroke, until the last breath, until the last vote, "was the harangue of Sánchez in a sports center dedicated to the cause.

THE HOPE OF THE LAST SEAT

That optimism – "We are doing well", they repeat from the top – is also based on the conviction that the PSOE still aspires to more than a dozen seats that are at stake with the right and Sumar in the provinces that distribute four seats. "There are provinces where a handful of votes will decide the color of the government and that is why in those provinces there has to be especially a mobilization of the progressive vote."

For example, in Ciudad Real and Albacete the Socialists are fighting for a seat with Vox. In Guadalajara they also dispute it with the right. "In Guadalajara we are less than 400 votes away from removing a deputy from the right," is the message of the segmented advertising that the PSOE has practiced on social networks in recent days.

It happens that the socialist accounts and forecasts erred in a marked way on 28-M. They did not see the tremendous loss of institutional power coming. That is why, although in the PSOE everyone wants to believe, many put caution and moderation. They slow down and lower expectations, not just because demoscopy is going to the current. First, because they believe that the campaign strategy could be improved. Second, because creating the expectation that you are going to win and then not comply can again throw dirt on an already battered game.

"There has been a lack of proposals. We have not said what we are going to do," they point out from an important federation. "I don't think there are many Spaniards who know what we are going to do," says a prominent territorial leader. "Nowadays you don't convince people with two messages. There is much more critical mass," says a senior party official.

"The campaign should have been more focused on what we are going to do. In what do you propose to govern the next four years. Shell a project for the present and the future, "admit government sources. The complaint is that Feijóo's "mountain of lies" has generated a lot of "noise" and has short-circuited a positive campaign. Yes, the measures and progress achieved have been described, but it is admitted that it is "difficult to assimilate that the effort made by the Government is not recognized."

Only a couple of measures have structured this specification for a future project: extending the term of mortgages up to seven years to households with incomes equal to or less than 37,800 euros per year, which would mean a saving of 300 euros per month and 3,600 euros per year; and set the Minimum Interprofessional Wage by law at 60% of the average salary

A regret that is shared in the party is that this proactive approach was made on 28-M, with the cascade of ads starring Sánchez and not now. "There was a national campaign when I wasn't playing. Now it does. Then what happened happened. We'll see what happens now."

However, it is also true that the electoral program of the PSOE was already a declaration of intentions, without concrete announcements or great novelties, and with a commitment to strengthen the measures implemented in the last four years.

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