NEWS
Students for Bush kick off campaign
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by Rachel Strauch-Nelson
Thursday, April 1, 2004
Students for Bush kicked off their 2004 campaign Wednesday at a gathering of about 60 students at Bullfeathers.
At the campaign’s first meeting, Bush supporters heard former Congressman Scott Klug speak about capturing the Republican vote in Madison.
“For a long time people had this perception that you couldn’t win the Madison area or Dane county as a Republican,” he said, adding that his 1990 victory in the election for the 2nd congressional seat proved this sentiment wrong.
Frank Hennick, co-chair of Students for Bush, agreed there is a conservative element to campus.
“Although it is overwhelmingly liberal in a lot of instances, we believe there is a lot of dormant conservatism on campus, and we feel it’s our job to get out there and let people know that there are opportunities for their voice to be heard,” Hennick said.
Hennick added the event was also intended to raise funds for the campaign.
“We have a long campaign ahead of us, and it’s going to take a lot of effort and a lot of money, frankly,” he said.
Also attending the event was Amy Lunde, a Bush/Cheney representative for south-central Wisconsin, who said college students ideally will play a crucial role in the election.
“We want the College Republicans to be the force on campus, and I think they will be the energy to help invigorate the rest of our team and some of the older folks who want to see the younger faces out there,” Lunde said.
However, Students for Kerry co-chair Don Eggert was somewhat skeptical of the group’s chances for victory on campus.
“I don’t see [Students for Bush] being very successful because George Bush has not done much for students or young voters,” Eggert said.
As for Democratic efforts, Eggert said the bulk of campaigning will take place next semester.
“So much of the real work will be happening in the fall,” he said.
Wisconsinites can expect to see much campaigning in the state, as it had one of the tightest margins of victory in the 2000 election. Bush lost the state to Gore by fewer than 6,000 votes, or less than one vote per ward.
Klug also emphasized the 2000 election’s close margin in the state.
“The key thing is to reach out to one person at a time. If you look at the numbers, George Bush lost the state of Wisconsin in the last election by only 5,000 votes,” Klug said.
Lunde also stressed the importance of the Bush campaign’s recruitment of 14,000 campaign helpers so far, half of its goal for the state.
Several students signed up at the event to be part of what Lunde said will be an “aggressive grassroots campaign” in Madison.
Likewise, the Kerry campaign will also focus on the grassroots level on campus, a tactic with which Eggert says Democrats have been traditionally more successful.
“We have our own agenda, and John Kerry has a positive message for America,” he said, adding that the plan for the fall campaigning is clear. “We are going to remind everyone how close it was in 2000 and why [the election] is so important now.”
