Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold completed the first day of a statewide college campus tour on Monday aiming to draw support among Wisconsin college students for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The tour, which will stop at seven University of Wisconsin campuses as well as Lawrence University, will contrast what Feingold calls “stark differences” between Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Feingold called on students to vote for Obama while visiting the UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-River Falls and UW-Stout campuses Monday

According to Graham Clumpner, field organizer for the Obama campaign and coordinator for the event at UW-La Crosse, Feingold emphasized judicial appointments, health care and college expenses as some of the touchstone issues for young people in this election. He also said Feingold praised young voters as a driving force for Obama’s campaign.

“I think turnout across the state is going to blow anything we’ve ever seen out of the water,” Clumpner said. “There’s a lot of excitement here.”

Clumpner said students connect with Obama more than McCain.

“He just paid off his students loans a few years ago. I think a lot of students can identify with that,” Clumpner said.

Mark Bednar, co-chair of Students for McCain at UW-Madison, said the seemingly high level of Obama support at UW masks a silent majority of McCain supporters that constitute a larger number of students than many realize.

“At UW-Madison, it’s cool to be an Obama supporter, and to be a McCain supporter is the bane of human existence,” Bednar said. “But I don’t think it’s a lost cause. The hype factor is huge for Obama, and I think you’re seeing a lot of that.”

Bednar expressed concern for what he perceived as unfair treatment of McCain supporters at UW-Madison, adding wearing McCain shirts or other apparel makes those people targets of ridicule around campus.

Trevor Miller, press secretary for Feingold, praised college students for tipping the scales of the election in Obama’s favor.

“Students play a vital role in the election process. In this election, more than others, Sen. Obama has tapped into that constituency,” Miller said. “This is a historic election, and Sen. Feingold thinks Obama is the best choice.”

Feingold has appeared in political rallies throughout Wisconsin and beyond in support of Obama. Miller said the Obama campaign asked Feingold to travel to college campuses around the state to draw support for Democratic nominee.

Feingold skipped rallying at UW-Madison because of the large amount of time and energy he usually spends in Madison, and added he wanted to devote energy to other campuses across the state, Miller said.

Today, Feingold will visit UW-Stevens Point, UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh and Lawrence University.