With election day about a week away, both College Democrats and College Republicans were doing their best to sway still-undecided voters and boost turnout for their candidates.
The College Democrats focused on Fairfax County, Va., an “area that is turning Democrat,” College Democrats president Rob Weiss ’09 said.
“[The] most effective thing [is] … to go to people’s doors and ask them to vote,” Weiss said, noting that research has shown this technique to be effective.
Overall, the reception for supporters of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was “overwhelmingly friendly,” College Democrats vice president Scott Weingart ’09 said. “We had a really good idea who’s voting for [Obama].”
Yume Kitasei ’09, who has volunteered for more than a dozen political campaigns and is a campaign coordinator for College Democrats, noted that the Obama campaign is “the best-organized campaign I’ve worked on.”
Kitasei added that most everyone the College Democrats visited were already Obama supporters. Adam Hesterberg ’10, who canvassed in Bucks County, Pa., said that he also received a very warm reception.
“People are mostly happy to see Obama canvassers,” he said.
The College Republicans in Pennsylvania noted that the reception for supporters of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was less enthusiastic.
“Campaigning for McCain in Philadelphia was tough,” Shea Conaway ’10 said in an interview, adding that “to find good places to do canvassing … McCain supporters had to travel to suburban areas.”
Conaway was one of two McCain supporters participating in the Pace Center’s Pennsylvania Election Action Program, a non-partisan educational program that sends University students to volunteer for the candidate of their choice.
The College Republicans found more support in the traditionally Republican state of Virginia.
“[I was] surprised how many volunteers were pouring into phone banks,” said College Republicans president Andrew Malcolm ’09, who spent the break in Loudon County, Va., signing up more volunteers for the Arizona senator. “People were enthusiastic.”
Despite a difficult a campaign environment for Republicans, Conaway said that he believes “enthusiasm for the McCain campaign has been underestimated.”
“Tuesday could be quite a surprise for Obama supporters,” he noted in an e-mail.
Party allegiance aside, most volunteers said they found the experience to be rewarding.
“[I] love going door-to-door talking to people,” Weiss said, adding that it was interesting talking to people whose lives are affected by hot-button issues like job security.
Malcolm said he found it “rewarding to convince people to volunteer … to talk to someone who needed help.”
Working on the campaign trail, however, wasn’t all fun and games.
Conaway, who said he overcame his initial nervousness and developed a “salesman-like attitude” when knocking on doors, noted that by the end of the week even his spirited support for McCain had its limits.
Hesterberg said he found his work “boring” but noted that it was “quite necessary.”
Cindy Hong ’09, also a co-campaign coordinator for the College Democrats, also noted the necessity of campaigning. Hong is a columnist for The Daily Princetonian.
College students are “the people who can experience long-term effects from policies,” Hong said. “We’ll be around the longest.”
“If you get involved … you feel like you have a greater stake in this election,” Conaway said.
Weiss said he believes that “few things [can] affect our lives more than this election,” adding that “Princeton students have a responsibility to be involved” and to break out of the Orange Bubble.
Was giving up a week’s rest after midterms worth it?
With all that he learned in Pennsylvania and with what he’s done for McCain, Conaway said he has no regrets.
Weingart said that he valued campaigning more than a week at home.
“Hell yes,” Weingart said, “and you can quote me on that.”
Both the College Democrats and the College Republicans will spend today in Pennsylvania, participating in one last push for their candidates.
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