News > February 5, 2004

By Jeff Harvey

Old Gold and Black Reporter

With N.C. Senator John Edwards deep in the battle for President, it’s no surprise that the Democratic primaries have hit with such force on campus.

For many students, the race for the nomination has meant gathering information about candidates, registering to vote absentee in primary elections and often actively campaigning for a favorite candidate. 

During the period of January to June, each state holds a primary election or caucus, and candidates who earn support among voters win a certain number of delegates from that state.

Junior Anjali Garg, the president of College Democrats, said that those competing for the nomination should pay attention to college voters in their campaigns. “I think catering to the young audience is key,” she said. “Our generation tends to have different concerns than others.”

Democrats are concerned about several aspects of the Bush presidency, and they are trying to convey these concerns to American voters in hopes of winning the White House.

Six Democrats remain in the race after contests concluded Feb. 3 in seven states. Massachusetts senator John Kerry took wins in five of those states: Arizona, Delaware, North Dakota, New Mexico and Missouri.

Edwards finished first in South Carolina and competed strongly in Oklahoma with retired Army General Wesley Clark, who claimed victory in that state.

Junior Scott Thompson favors Edwards who has significant local support. “I like Edwards because he is young and energetic,” he said. “He should be able to win in the South, and I think he has the best chance of any of the Democratic candidates at beating Bush in November.”

Senior Ryan Doerfler heads a campus group in support of Howard Dean. The group has concentrated on writing letters to undecided Democrats in states with early primaries, telling them about Dean’s campaign and qualifications.

The group also helped to successfully collect the 10,000 signatures required to get Dean on the ballot for the North Carolina primary to be held May 4.

“I personally support Howard Dean because I think he is the candidate to breathe life back into the Democratic Party,” Doerfler said. “Many Democratic candidates have appeared wishy-washy and uninspiring to the general public, which I believe has played heavily in the recent defeats the party has suffered.”

Junior Mike Walsh volunteered with the Kerry campaign in his home state of New Hampshire over winter break, making phone calls and going door to door in an attempt to convince voters to cast their ballots for Kerry. He has been in contact with the national campaign, working to get Kerry on the North Carolina ballot and putting up signs around campus.

“I’m hoping Kerry’s recent success in the primaries will entice more people to become seriously involved in his campaign,” Walsh said.

“Hopefully, we can form a group to make calls and write letters from Wake Forest, and possibly even do some traveling for the campaign.” 

Despite early doubts, Kerry has become the clear front-runner.

“The fact that the media completely wrote him (Kerry) off, yet people still believe in him tells a lot about his chances. I think he is going to get the nomination and defeat Bush in November,” Walsh said. 

The race continues this week with primaries in Michigan and Washington on Saturday and in Maine on Sunday.