As primary fever sweeps through Massachusetts today, officials from Boston University’s Democratic student organizations say they will be making strong efforts to get their candidates votes on this crucial Super Tuesday.
More than 1,100 delegates are up for the taking nation-wide during today’s 10 primaries. A candidate must win 2,162 delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination for the November election against President George W. Bush.
“This is the biggest day for getting delegates,” said College Democrats Secretary Peter True. “It’s the day that really decides things because about half of the delegates are decided.”
Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) leads the race so far with 562 delegates and Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) has 204. The Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) hold 15 delegates combined and several candidates that have already dropped out hold about another 150.
True said since they do not officially endorse any candidates, the College Democrats will be participating in the Democratic campaign Tuesday by giving out voting information and encouraging people to vote.
BU for Kerry President Sam Shusterman said though Kerry appears to be the favored candidate, the large number of available delegates still poses a threat if supporters do not go out and cast their votes.
“John Kerry is a strong candidate, but there are a lot of delegates up for grabs, so people can’t assume their candidate will win,” she said. “The danger of being cocky is complacency, and that is how people lose elections.”
Members of BU for Kerry campaigned Monday in the George Sherman Union, as they hoisted Kerry signs and held an open-mic session. Speakers were supposed to talk about the importance of voting on Tuesday and electing a “strong candidate to go against Bush in November,” Shusterman said before the event.
She also said BU for Kerry will have a table set up inside the GSU Link for five hours today where representatives will be available to answer questions about Kerry and hand out information about his campaign. The group will also be informing students where they can go to vote according to where they live on campus, she said.
“We are targeting people who don’t know who to vote for and those who have not yet decided which Democratic candidate to vote for,” Shusterman said. “We want to help them make good, informed decisions about the candidates.”
BU for Kerry will be assisting the Kerry campaign throughout Boston today, she said.
BU for Edwards member Jason Terk, a CAS junior, said he is not expecting any miracles in tonight’s Massachusetts primary, but he thinks his candidate could come out with a moral victory in Kerry’s backyard.
“The main point is to get his name out there in Massachusetts,” Terk said. “Every vote he gets is a bonus.”
BU for Edwards representatives attended a rally held by Mass. for Edwards on Sunday, Terk said, and group members were at the GSU Link Friday giving out information about Edwards’s campaign and how students can get involved. The organization has also been campaigning in Kenmore Square and will continue to do so until today.
“We’re not overly optimistic,” Terk said. The group is hoping Edwards can get at least 10 to 15 percent of the vote, he added. “We’re just trying to make an impact so late in the game.”
Although Howard Dean is no longer officially in the Democratic race, BU for Dean continues to work, BU for Dean co-President Jake Lambert said. Members will still be attempting to swing voters to Dean by campaigning at polling places and phone banking, he said.
“Even though he is not actively campaigning, his name is still on the ballot, so we are trying to get people to vote for Dean on Tuesday,” Lambert said.
Lambert said during last month’s “mini-Super Tuesday” primary in New Mexico, Dean was still able to get votes despite his unofficial campaign, and he thinks a similar situation is possible for Tuesday.
“In New Mexico, he came close and he wasn’t actively campaigning,” he said. “That’s the same idea we have here. We’re an active volunteer group and see no reason why we shouldn’t be represented.”
Dean decision to leave the race has only helped Edwards’s campaign, Lambert added.
“We are not officially doing anything with BU for Edwards,” Lambert said. “I think that Edwards has a big appeal among Dean folk and that since Dean is not officially running, delegates for Edwards will tip the ballots from Kerry to Edwards.”
But College of Communication freshman Suzanne Brown said she thinks more students have switched from supporting Dean to assisting Kerry.
“I know kids working on the Dean campaign ended up switching to the Kerry campaign,” she said.
True said he thinks voter turnout among Boston college students has been good and will continue to be at BU. Brown said she thinks BU’s enthusiasm for the 2004 election is in partially the result BU’s Democratic organizations.
“I think the groups definitely get awareness out,” Brown said. “They inform students about what their candidates stand for, which is information they might not seek out on their own.”
Shusterman said that she hopes college students will vote today.
“It’s our privilege and right and we should exercise it,” she said.
On Super Tuesday, nine states – California, New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont – will hold Democratic primaries and Minnesota will conduct caucuses. One hundred twenty one delegates are up for grabs in Massachusetts.
Staff Writer Paul Imbesi contributed to this report.