ASU Young Democrats converged on the battleground state of Nevada this weekend in support of presidential hopeful Barack Obama in conjunction with his visit to the state.
The two-day turn-around trip to Las Vegas found the students and other supporters of Obama with a full schedule of canvassing and encouraging people to vote for the Democratic candidate, said senior philosophy major Blake Vanfleteren.
Early voting in Nevada starts Monday.
The group left early Saturday morning and returned to Tempe late Sunday night. In between, Vanfleteren said they planned to focus their energies on areas with a student concentration.
“In the past we have not been considered a reliable demographic,” Vanfleteren said. “We want to change that by reminding people to get out and vote.”
He said Obama has proven popular among students.
“Students gravitate to Obama. This is the first time in a long time students have a candidate they think is going to look out for them,” Vanfleteren said. “We honestly believe he can get things done. Candidates talk about a plan, but he can get it done.”
The travelers were also given a special section at the Obama rally held at Las Vegas’ Bonanza High School, where the candidate spoke in front of 18,000 people.
Vanfleteren said the effort to fund the trip paralleled Obama’s effort to fund his campaign — going after small donations from multiple donors. He said canvassers were asked to donate $5 to the trip and then to ask five other people for $5.
“It grew exponentially,” Vanfleteren said.
With the metro region of Las Vegas growing rapidly, Nevada is moving from a Republican-dominated state to a swing state, said David Wells, a lecturer in ASU’s School of Letters and Sciences.
He said even though Nevada only has five electoral votes, it’s still crucial in such a close race. Wells said Republican John McCain must take Nevada if he hopes to win on Nov. 4.
“Current polls from mid-October suggest that Obama has a slight lead in Nevada of 5 percent or less. One poll was a tie,” Wells said. “McCain's path to taking the White House requires that he take all of the toss-up states, including Nevada, and all of the states leaning Obama.”
The race in Nevada will be a toss-up, but will likely favor Obama, said Kelly McDonald, assistant professor of communication in the School of Letters and Sciences.
The biggest lesson Democrats learned from the previous Bush campaign, he said, was the importance of voting. Efforts like the trip sponsored by the Young Democrats show that Obama has actively used grassroots efforts to get young people to vote, he said.
“If they turn out, it will make a difference, but the youth vote has historically not turned out,” McDonald said.
But he said that the high number of first-time registered voters could bode well for a more politically active generation of future voters.
“It could be a harbinger of good things to come,” McDonald said.
Reach the reporter at philip.haldiman@asu.edu.
