DUBUQUE, Iowa - The pivotal Iowa caucuses to decide the Democratic nominee for president are barely 100 days away and consequently a group of UW-Madison students headed to Dubuque, Iowa, to canvass for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, Sunday.
I loved it so much that I just wanted to keep coming back and doing it,"" UW-Madison junior Stephanie Gilski said on why she was willing to wake up early and appear on strangers' doorsteps to solicit votes.
Gilski gathered with over 30 other
UW-Madison students in a small storefront campaign headquarters to quickly learn how to canvass after arriving in Dubuque.
Just around the corner from the Obama offices are the headquarters for other Democratic hopefuls U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-R.I., and Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M.
The volunteers are in Iowa trying to convince potential caucus goers to vote for Obama in January. The caucuses are local meetings where people register as a Democrat or Republican; if not already registered, then discuss and vote for candidates.
The number of supporters a candidate receives at the local caucuses decides how many delegates a candidate will get in the subsequent county, district and state caucuses.
The entire process leads to how many delegates a candidate will get at the national convention. Though the process differs in states like Wisconsin, which holds a simpler primary to decide national delegates.
Campaign coordinators briefly acted out a successful canvassing scenario with students and stressed a few key points they should talk about with the potential caucus goers.
Gilski said she has not been involved heavily in politics before now, but that Obama's energy appealed to her so much that she wanted to become active.
UW-Madison freshman Guthrie Weinschenk similarly said Obama's youth appealed to him more than other politicians. ""He's younger and he's actually paying attention to younger voters,"" Weinschenk said.
Liz Gilbert, also a UW-Madison freshman, said she plans on studying educational policy and that it will be one of the key issues for her in the 2008 election.
Gilbert said that even if no one opened a door to talk today, just being part of the campaign and spreading her candidate's message was important. ""I came out here today because I know one more voice can help out.""
The Wisconsin students interacted with a variety of local Dubuque residents, some of whom are used to presidential candidates campaigning in the area.
Karlene Colbert, who spoke while sitting on her front porch, moved to Dubuque in 1957 and her husband was a basketball coach in the area for over 25 years.
Colbert said she has not decided which candidate she will support, though Obama seems like he is ""not tainted"" by Washington politics in her opinion.
""I can't think of anything to fault him for,"" Colbert said, though she wondered if Obama was experienced enough to be president.
Support of some candidates splits households in the politically important state. Tyler Heidersheit is marked as a Clinton supporter by the canvassers, while his wife is undecided and their daughter is strongly for Obama.
Joy Bode is an independent and her husband was a supporter of John Edwards, but now he is undecided. He said he was ""entertaining the idea"" of Obama, but would not give his full support for now.
Jan Oswald, who has also been a Dubuque resident for several years, said she is not wavering on whom she will vote for in 2008 or on what issues matter to her.
She said she is strongly against the Iraq War and supports Obama because the country needs to have a politician who can cause less political divisions among people.
""I believe we have to become a nation that doesn't hate each other,"" Oswald said.
Being a bi-racial candidate also makes Obama more appealing, according to Oswald. It better represents America, she said.
