This weekend, members of the Boston University political organization BU4Bernie will travel to New Hampshire to canvass for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Other BU political organizations, such as BU for Warren, supporting candidate Elizabeth Warren, have taken and will make similar trips to demonstrate support for their respective candidates.
BU for Warren and BU4Bernie will continue to make canvassing trips to New Hampshire in the weekends leading up to the New Hampshire primaries on Feb. 11.
Bea Brown, a member of BU4Bernie and a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said students will travel to New Hampshire on buses provided by Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire campaign office.
Owen McNamara, a member of BU for Warren and a senior in CAS, said BU for Warren members were similarly provided transportation by Elizabeth Warren’s Massachusetts campaign headquarters.
McNamara said New Hampshire is a critical state in the presidential race, as it is the first state to hold primary elections. He also said the state often acts as an initial indicator of how a candidate’s support will fare in the months leading up to the presidential election in November.
“Since it’s the first in the nation primary, the way that [New Hampshire] votes dictates how future states will vote,” McNamara said. “So if we can get our candidate, Elizabeth Warren, the most support in New Hampshire, then hopefully that will catapult her onto a much more national stage across the country so that she can win the next primary caucus state that comes up.”
Brown said that while BU4Bernie will canvass in New Hampshire leading up to the primaries, the organization hopes to focus on engaging BU students on campus as well.
“Further down the road, we’re hoping to shift to keep things more localized on campus, find people who are interested in [Sanders] and ask them to help us reach out to their friends who also go to BU,” Brown said. “We want to make sure everyone they know is registered to vote and has all the info that they want or need about [Sanders].”
Brown said she feels that canvassing for Sanders as a college student has allowed her to help clarify many of the assumptions surrounding his campaign.
“For [Sanders], what people think of is these hoards of college students who are voting for him,” Brown said. “When we go up there, it helps to show [voters] that we really care about his campaign and that it’s not just this cult of personality.”
Samantha Delgado, a member of BU for Warren and senior in CAS, said she sees canvassing as more than just policy-oriented, and enjoys being able to make connections with New Hampshire residents over shared values and hopes for the future.
“I think doorknocking is a great way for people to get their candidate’s voice out there,” Delgado said, “but it’s also just a great way for people to make one on one connections and see what is meaningful in life.”
Delgado said she finds canvassing rewarding because she can speak with New Hampshire constituents who may not always engage in political discussions.
“You get to go out there and really speak to people who aren’t always used to being asked ‘Well what do you think, how do you feel about what’s going on in our country?’” Delgado said. “I think sometimes people don’t realize that they have thoughts about that, so when you ask them you end up engaging in conversation that’s not always about policy issues, but more about values and what’s important to us as citizens.”
A representative from BU for Pete, a campus group that supports primary candidate Pete Buttigieg, declined to comment. There is no known group supporting Vice President Joe Biden on campus.
Ty Bieber, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said he thinks canvassing as a college student sends a powerful message to potential voters.
“I think it shows that students are passionate about the candidate that they’re going to vote for,” Bieber said. “Young people being passionate about something inspires other people to get on board with that, and I think it really broadens the group [of voters].”
Sari Cohen, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said she does not feel strongly enough about any candidate at this point in the election to canvass and doesn’t know if canvassing in New Hampshire as a BU student would be beneficial.
“I don’t think there’s a candidate that I feel strongly enough to stand behind and cross state lines for, just because there are so many options still in the democratic field at this point,” Cohen said. “I also don’t think it’s necessarily going to be of great benefit if students from Boston go to New Hampshire… it’s a different state.”
Sophia Woodland, a freshman in the Questrom School of Business, said she agrees that student canvassers hold an important role in campaigning and inspire their peers as well as older generations.
“I think students canvassing is very important and holds just as much or more importance as adults canvassing,” Woodland said. “I think specifically for younger people, it’s more inspiring when you see someone your age or younger doing it and it shows that they care just as much as people that are older.”
