BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008 12:00 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Student groups supporting various candidates in next month's Wisconsin presidential primary are getting organized on college campuses.
More than 200 students turned out last week at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a meeting to kick off the semester for Students for Obama.
"The more people we have, the more people we can reach and talk to," said Erik Opsal, communications director for the organization supporting Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Students for Hillary at the UW-Madison are planning a "day of action" this week to recruit volunteers for the candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
At Marquette University, Students for Ron Paul have been signing up students to work for the Texas Republican congressman.
College Republicans at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have been leafleting in the student union with information about the candidates.
Student volunteers are also being organized at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in support of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
"I think this could be a pretty important event here in Wisconsin," Oliver Kiefer, chairman of the UW-Madison College Democrats, said of the Feb. 19 primary.
Wisconsin had the second-highest turnout among young voters in the 2004 general election, trailing only Minnesota.
Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement research group based in the Washington area, said record high youth turnout in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary this year suggests that their numbers will be high for the remaining primaries and the general election.
Gov. Jim Doyle said in a speech to the Students for Obama kickoff meeting at UW-Madison he thinks young voters could play a key role in Wisconsin's primary.
"People are really engaged, they're really active and I think they're going to make the difference," said Doyle, who supports Obama.