Move over Democrats. Republicans are going after the college vote in the 2004 presidential election.
As President George W. Bush's re-election campaign kicks into full gear, special attention will be given to young voters, said Sharon Castillo, a spokeswoman for the Bush campaign.
"Young voters are a very important part of our grassroots effort," Castillo said.
The Bush campaign currently is drawing in students with a March to Victory contest, which mimics the NCAA's March Madness basketball series, Castillo said.
Schools are divided into brackets and pitted against other colleges in their region for the top number of registered Bush supporters.
ASU is third in the nation with 675 registered students, Castillo said. That puts the University 133 people out of first place, behind Syracuse University and Michigan State University.
The school that registers the most Bush supporters by April 5 will get a secret prize, Castillo said.
The March to Victory contest is only one indication of the campaign's attention to young voters in the 2004 election.
Two seats on every Bush statewide steering committee have been set aside to focus on the youth vote, said history and political science senior Christina Corieri, chairwoman of the College Republicans at ASU. Corieri holds one of those seats, along with recent UA graduate Manny Espinoza.
The Bush campaign is relying on students to reach out to their peers and spread Bush's positive message, Castillo said.
"It's important to have young people talk to young people," she said.
According to recent surveys, many students are embracing that message, Corieri said.
A nationwide poll released March 21 by Zogby International showed Bush leading democratic rival John Kerry among 18- to 24-year-olds with an anticipated 51.9 percent of the vote.
Kerry has support among 36.6 percent in that age bracket, with a 3.1 percent margin of error.
ASU Students for Bush currently is involved in phone banking, voter registration and bumper-sticker branding, Corieri said.
As Election Day draws nearer, the student organization will plan several events on campus, said political science and justice studies junior Jared Sandella, co-chairman of the ASU Students for Bush campaign.
One prominent activity may be a campus-wide "conservative week," Sandella said. The event likely would mirror a series of rallies held at UA this year, which featured Republican speakers.
ASU Students for Bush is planning a positive campaign, Sandella said.
"If we sit there and bash John Kerry, no one will know who George Bush is and what George Bush stands for," Sandella said.
But if the Students for Kerry campaign would like to challenge Bush supporters, the Republicans are ready.
"If they want to debate, we're happy to debate. We're not going to shy away from the issues," Corieri said.
Reach the reporter at amanda.keim@asu.edu.
