Howard Dean campaigned in Madison at a packed Majestic Club Wednesday night as student supporters and campaign volunteers revved up to get the student vote out for Wisconsin’s primary Feb. 17.

“We need a lot of votes here in Madison to win this,” Dean said, relishing in his support on campus but emphasizing the need to get votes around the state. “The truth is, Tuesday, Feb. 17, the power to change this country is in your hands, not mine.”

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk introduced the former Vermont governor before the rowdy crowd saying, “Spring is around the corner and so is a Dean victory in 13 days.”

Dean labeled the Bush administration as a failure, claiming it has caused a loss of jobs, moral leadership, and community. He also condemned President Bush’s use of the “racially coded” word quota when discussing the Supreme Court’s decision on the University of Michigan affirmative-action policies.

“The president played the race card, and that alone entitles him to a one-way bus ticket back to Crawford, Texas,” Dean said.

Dean stressed the need to take the country back from special interests, claiming although any democrat would be better fit for office than President Bush, voters need “to do more than just switch bureaucrats around.”

“We have had a great effect on the Democratic party. Finally they have gotten a little spine,” Dean said.

Dean’s visit to Madison Wednesday marks his second campaign stop in Wisconsin in a week after he met with local Milwaukee leaders Sunday.

Dean’s heavy campaign focus on the state comes in the wake of low returns in the seven states holding primaries Tuesday of this week as well as his losses in New Hampshire and Iowa. His revised campaign strategy was due to a sudden slip from the race’s favorite combined with depleted campaign funds, forcing Dean to skip several states and focus on a few key contests, including Wisconsin.

Dean, however, is set to face fierce competition in a potential Wisconsin showdown to capture the democratic nomination. Current frontrunner Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass., has won seven states thus far, while Sen. John Edwards, D- N.C., and Gen. Wesley Clark have won one race each.

The Clark campaign, for example, is gearing up to win the Wisconsin primary and hopes to ride on momentum from victories in other states to do well here.

“Clark is competing now, he is not just waiting around to win a particular state,” Adam Diederich, co-coordinator of Students for Clark, said.

Dean supporters, however, claim that Dean’s strategy and campaign will be successful and have been unfairly portrayed as floundering.

“The media has been incredibly ruthless. They are focusing on the electability issue, and I don’t think anyone knows what that means,” Aaron Mann, a freshman volunteer for Students for Dean, said.

Shira Roza, Chair of Students for Dean, said Dean is extremely popular among young people because he addresses issues they care about like the war in Iraq and education. Roza said the strong, grassroots organization of the campaign would bring young voters out to vote for Dean Feb. 17.

“We are going to literally pull them to the polls on Election Day,” Roza said.