With Election Day upon us and a mere 12 months until we cast votes in the 2008 presidential election, political activism on Grounds is in full swing. On both the conservative and liberal sides of the fence, political organizations at the University are experiencing high student involvement, successful fundraising and exciting events that are attracting students and Charlottesville community members alike.
College Republicans
The coverage of the campaign trail for the 2008 presidential election has left many political pundits remarking that the Republican Party is suffering from internal division and dissatisfaction among its party members. This discord on the national level, however, seemingly has not infiltrated the University; in fact, the Republican community on Grounds is stronger now than ever, according to College Republicans President Robert Martin.
"Despite the national unrest, we have seen a renewal of spirit and enthusiasm within our organization," Martin said.
This year, the College Republicans have dedicated themselves to "moving in a new direction," according to Martin. Although Martin admits that in the past, College Republicans have often been viewed as an organization for students who "want to run for office or spend their time campaigning," they are striving to change this image. They have expanded their programs on Grounds and seek a broader audience. Martin states that they are working in collaboration with Student Council and other student organizations to "promote conservative objectives at the University" and that they hope to appeal to students of a broader range, from moderate to conservative.
In addition to these long-term goals, College Republicans are actively working to bring speakers and events to the University, and this semester have already hosted Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Del. Rob Bell, R-Charlottesville, and former White House Political Director Matt Schlapp.
College Republicans have also been busy preparing for this month's state elections. Students have campaigned in Northern Virginia for State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, as well as Bell and Republican Del. Frank Ruff of the 15th District through phone banking and literature drop activities.
All told, the College Republicans are thriving here at the University and eagerly awaiting the 2008 presidential election. Though they don't support a specific candidate as a group, an informal poll found 35 percent would vote for Mitt Romney.
College Republicans have "grown increasingly confident with our candidates and are energized around the prospect of [halting] another Clinton presidency," Martin said.
Until the election, College Republicans expect to be busy with their upcoming agenda. While Martin said they are already the largest conservative organization at the University, he noted that they hope to "continue to grow in size as we begin to contact more members of the University community."
University Democrats
University Democrats are flourishing this fall at the University, according to President Sophia Brumby.
For the past month, their focus has been on the Virginia state elections, where they have been "getting out the vote through phone banking and canvassing," Brumby said.
Earlier in the semester, UDems hosted State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, who spoke about the importance of this month's elections. They also took a trip to Northern Virginia to campaign for John Miller, the Democratic Virginia Senate candidate for the 1st District.
In addition to this work, UDems are busy with the upcoming presidential election. They will head to New Hampshire in January for the presidential primary and have been fundraising for more than six months to offset the cost of the trip, Brumby said. With the money raised from their "5K Run for Office" and "generous" donations from Democrats within the Charlottesville community, Brumby said UDems have raised more than $3,000 for the New Hampshire trip.
UDems have also spent many of their weekly meetings discussing the 2008 election. They held a primary debate with students representing Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards and Mike Gravel.
They also organized Assoc. Politics Prof. Lynn Sanders' presentation, "Race and Gender in the 2008 Presidential Race,."
On a broader scale, UDems volunteered at the Clinton fundraiser at the Paramount Theater last month and worked to help bring Obama to Charlottesville as well.
UDems are excited about political activism on Grounds, Brumby said. They are currently working with the Voter Registration Coalition to help reach the goal of 2,008 students registered to vote by the 2008 elections.
They have had a busy semester so far, and with more than 200 members, are seeking to make a big impact on Grounds.
"Our officers do a great job of co-sponsoring events with other clubs so that we can continue to raise awareness of the issues that students care about, Democrat or not," second-year College student Stephanie Hull said.
Even with a healthy membership, Brumby said she feels UDems has a reputation for being "more politically nerdy than we actually are," noting that UDems has many social events outside of campaigning.
Brumby said UDems is excited about its upcoming events, and she is optimistic about what lies ahead, both for the student organization and the Democratic Party in general.
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