Across campus, student groups that support different Democratic
candidates have been conducting cross-country campaign efforts for
today’s New Hampshire primary.
Along Bruin Walk, students are greeted by members of Bruins for
Dean, Bruins for Clark and Bruins for Kerry who enthusiastically
offer information and fliers promoting their respective
candidates.
In preparation for the New Hampshire primary, members of student
groups have been jamming the phone lines with last-minute calls to
undecided voters in the Granite State.
The work done by students for today’s primary reflects the
months of campaign work some students have already done as part of
campus student groups and individually.
Bruins for Dean has over 200 people on their mailing list,
making it the largest student group supporting a single
candidate.
For the past few weekends, members of Bruins for Dean have been
traveling to states such as New Mexico and Arizona to help promote
Howard Dean to undecided voters, making house calls and going
door-to-door to register voters and raise interest in Dean.
Mette Marie Staehr, a fourth-year physical science exchange
student from Denmark, said she went on one of the weekend trips to
New Mexico because she was interested in American politics and
supported many of Dean’s ideas.
After finding out more about Dean at a Bruins for a Dean
meeting, Staehr decided to go on the trip to help campaign even
though she cannot vote.
The out-of-state-trips are one of a host of activities in which
members of Bruins for Dean are participating as part of their
effort to help elect Dean as the Democratic candidate for the
presidency.
Jessica Wood, a second-year political science and Middle Eastern
studies student and a member of the group said she is involved with
the Dean campaign because of Dean’s emphasis on getting young
people involved.
“I really like how Dean encourages the youth to make
changes in politics,” Wood said.
But Dean is just one candidate with active student support at
UCLA.
Chartered just last Friday after a surprising win by Mass. Sen.
John Kerry in the Iowa caucuses, Bruins for Kerry already has two
speaker events planned in February with Kerry’s daughters,
Alexandra and Vanessa, as well as 1988 Democratic presidential
nominee and former Mass. Gov. Michael Dukakis.
Fifth-year political science and public policy student Matthew
Dabaneh, who founded and heads Bruins for Kerry, said he has been
getting many more phone calls and e-mails inquiring about Kerry
after his win in Iowa.
“There’s a lot more of a buzz for him on
campus,” Dabaneh said.
Dabaneh, who traveled to Iowa before its primary last week, said
he wasn’t surprised by the results of the caucus because
Kerry supporters helped establish his presence there.
Dean’s third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses prompted
Bruins for Dean to tighten their campaigning efforts.
Fifth-year theater student and co-president of Bruins for Dean
Cameron King said the group will be calling undecided voters and
publicizing Dean in states with early primaries.
“Everyone is understandably disappointed in the loss but
also still quite hopeful of the future,” said King. “We
will be continuing with what we’ve been doing. The upcoming
primaries just became much more important.”
Bruins for Clark was also founded earlier this quarter to help
Ret. Army Gen. Wesley Clark in his bid for the presidency.
In addition to the usual tabling on Bruin Walk, members of
Bruins for Clark have been going to basketball games to hand out
fliers publicizing Clark. The group is also taking part in a
letter-writing campaign for the Arizona primary.
Graduate student Matthew Sanderl, a student coordinator for
Bruins for Clark, said campus events will be held by the group as
the March 2 California primary gets closer.
Although there is no student group dedicated to candidate John
Edwards, the Democratic senator from North Carolina, individual
UCLA students have helped with his campaign.
Third-year political science, economics and history student
Douglas Ludlow, who is also the president of Bruin Democrats and a
former Daily Bruin viewpoint columnist, has volunteered at
Edwards’ fund raisers in Los Angeles and has helped with
mailings at Edwards’ local office.
Currently, Ludlow said he was waiting to see if Edwards will be
a big contender in California before helping out further.
Students cited various reasons for supporting their particular
candidates, but the one common reason they all cited for their
support was the belief that one has the best chance of beating
President Bush.
Ludlow said he personally feels Edwards has the best
alternatives to Bush’s policies and programs.
Dabaneh said Kerry is the best candidate to challenge Bush
because of his appeal to moderates and the Democratic base. King
claimed that Dean’s popularity is the largest challenge for
the current president.