Students Hit the Campaign Trail

SALEM N.H. and KEENE N.H.--With recent polls showing Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore '69 running neck and neck in New Hampshire, Harvard Democrats hit the campaign trail this weekend, canvassing the back roads of New Hampshire to drum up support for their candidates.

Around 15 Bradley supporters rose early Saturday to ride to Salem, N.H. with other local Bradley enthusiasts. They rendezvoused with New Hampshire campaign coordinators in a school parking lot, where they donned Bradley stickers and were assigned walking routes.

Then yesterday, over 20 students gathered at 7:30 a.m. to make the two-hour trip to Keene, N.H. to campaign for Gore and see him speak.

In New Hampshire, the first primary state in the nation, door to door campaigning has an "almost mystical" significance, according to Shaun Kelleher, the Bradley campaign's New England college coordinator.

"It's the key to New Hampshire politics," Kelleher said.

With both candidates devoting considerable energy to winning the state's primary--the nation's first--college students are the infantry in the battle for this crucial state. The Bradley campaign is calling the upcoming Columbus Day weekend "College weekend," and hoping to flood the state with young supporters.

And last week, in an effort to build support among New England college students, Bradley spoke at MIT, drawing over 1,000 students.

"Students are an incredibly important part of our campaign. We have a full-time college student coordinator," said Mo Elliethee, the Bradley campaign's New Hampshire Press Secretary. "I think the level of commitment this campaign has to reaching out to young people is unprecedented."

This weekend was the first time Harvard Students for Bradley sent students to New Hampshire. Bradley supporters distributed literature--"door knockers"--that contain a brief biography of their candidate to registered Democrats and Independents. Others worked "visibility," standing by the roadside with Bradley signs to hand out leaflets.

"The best part was kicking it with three other Bradley supporters," Shai M. Sachs '01 said of the job. "The worst was standing out there for four or five hours in the sun."

Gore's army of supporters yesterday also drew significant Harvard numbers. Students campaigning for him ranged from Government concentrators to graduate students in the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

"We are lucky because Harvard has a lot of interested people who strongly support Al Gore," said Erin B. Ashwell '02, Harvard's Gore campaign coordinator and the trip's organizer.

Gore campaigners spent the morning and afternoon canvassing, but the highlight of the day came in the early afternoon, when they took a break to hear Gore speak.

When Gore first arrived at the event, students, residents and political campaigners jostled for a picture, handshake or chat with the vice president.

Gore's short but rousing speech to the residents of Keene addressed his proposals for childcare, education and health care reform.

Campaigners in both the Bradley and Gore camps said the trip to New Hampshire was worth the long haul.

Peter Szoldam a KSG student came to support Gore with hopes of learning campaign techniques.

"I'm practicing by doing this," said Szoldam, a former city council member in Budapest who first ran for office in 1990, when Hungary was making a transition from a communist to a democratic state.

Students said it was unpleasant when some residents appeared less than enthused to see campaigners on their doorsteps, but that most were receptive. Some residents conversed with them about politics and even invited them into their homes.

"The downside is that you're doing something you know is annoying people in some way," said Luke P. McLoughlin '00, who is helping coordinate Harvard Students for Bradley. "The upside is that you get to meet a lot of different people, see a lot of different areas in New Hampshire."

McLoughlin said he also had the opportunity to meet a number of non-voters in New Hampshire.

"There are a lot of dogs in New Hampshire. A lot of barking dogs," he said.

Both campaigns hope the present level of student involvement is just the beginning of something larger.

"I think its going to increase exponentially from this point on," said Kelleher, who noted that the Bradley campaign is expanding its outreach efforts after having focused its efforts on Boston colleges over the past several weeks. "A lot of people who organize this now are in touch with people who are politically active on their [other] campuses."

McLoughlin said he hopes to send students to New Hampshire every weekend, if enough are interested.

David B. Orr '01, who made his first trip for Bradley to New Hampshire Saturday, said he plans to go again.

"Overall, I felt it was an extremely positive experience," he said. "Going face-to-face probably has a big impact on the New Hampshire voters."