pound pavement and press flesh, etc,
reading Jeffrey Archer's "The Prodigal Daughter":
sth about election in US,
1. During the last three days of the campaign before the primary, Florentyna pounded pavement, pressed flesh and walked the entire length of Michigan Avenue.
2. In a heavier turnout than Edward had predicted, 49312 other people voted for Florentyna that day, while 42973 voted for Ralph Brooks.
question:
1. what does "pound pavement, press flesh" mean here?
2. why say "other people" here?
3. In US, is a democratic allowed to vote for republican candidate? or the other way round,
especially when he/she is a registered democratic?
thank you for your help and your time