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Students meet for Tammy Baldwin re-election

RAY PFEIFFER/Herald photo

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by Douglas Schuette

Friday, September 15, 2006

Student supporters for incumbent U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., met Thursday night to discuss the importance of student involvement in her re-election campaign and in voting come November.

At the kick-off, Baldwin's campaign manager, Jeff Pertl, addressed the significant impact of student involvement in electing Baldwin for her first term eight years ago.

"The next morning, the headline in the Wisconsin State Journal read 'Youthquake,'" he said. "So many students had voted in that election."

Baldwin, initially elected in 1998, was Wisconsin's first-ever woman representative in Congress. Baldwin also has the distinction of being the first openly gay non-incumbent elected to Congress.

Stephanie Biese, the chair of Students for Tammy Baldwin, spoke primarily about how students can get involved in the campaign, including chalking, "lit drops," distributing posters, talking to the various student organizations on campus and participating in dorm outreaches.

"There are a lot of kids that don't know [about Baldwin] because they don't know where to get the information," she said.

Biese added that intern positions are also available in the campaign, requiring a minimum of 10 hours per week.

Pertl, an ancient history major graduate from the University of Wisconsin, jokingly noted to the students present that, though he didn't have much by way of political skills, what he was involved in during college was far more important than his major.

"What people really asked me about [in interviews] was my experience when I was on campus," he said. "I was involved in student government, and I've done political work, so I've done 'lit drops,' and I've run press conferences, and I've met with school officials … those things got me interviews, got me jobs, got me opportunities."

John Doble, a junior majoring in political science and international studies, attested to Pertl's experience, noting some of the campaign work he has done on campus in the last week.

"Monday, I went out and did the recruiting job over in the Holt Commons area … asking people if they will pledge to vote in November or if they would volunteer to help with the campaign," he said. "If you want to pad your résumé a bit, [getting involved in a campaign] is a good thing to do."

With elections coming up, students have gotten creative in order to help re-elect Baldwin.

The "Top Ten Reasons Tammy Should Visit My House," a contest in which students suggest reasons Baldwin should visit them, started Thursday. The winner will receive a personal visit from Baldwin to his or her residence — be it an apartment, dorm or fraternity. Upcoming events for Tammy Baldwin include an appearance in the Willy Street parade this weekend and a concert on Oct. 6.

Baldwin and Republican challenger Dave Magnum will go head to head in a candidates' forum on global issues Oct. 8 at the Memorial Union. A range of international issues will be discussed, including immigration, nuclear proliferation, trade and global economy, terrorism and the war in Iraq.

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Anonymous (September 15, 2006 @ 9:58am):

give dave magnum a chance, you might just like him.

Anonymous (September 15, 2006 @ 5:22pm):

why would anyone spend their time working on Tammy Baldwin campaign when they know she's going to win anyway??!!

They should work on more important issues.