Large number of Tufts students volunteer for Kerry

Flanked by local and state officials against the backdrop of historic Faneuil Hall, Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., told an ecstatic crowd of supporters he would seek the democratic presidential nomination last week. The crowd, which included Tufts students, heard the senator speak on issues directed mainly towards the working-class crowd.

While Kerry has garnered much support in his home state, recent polls show that elsewhere he trails the leading Democratic candidate, Howard Dean, by as much as 20 points. Undeterred by national polls, a group of Tufts students have rallied behind Kerry by promoting him on campus and off.

Tufts Democrats member Jenna Dreyer currently leads the Tufts chapter of Students for Kerry (SFK). While SFK has only 20 student members, they believe more students will grow as the campaigns develop, according to Tufts senior and Kerry campaign intern Elizabeth Richardson.

"With thousands of students across Massachusetts that are actively volunteering for John Kerry's campaign, we are confident as students return to campus, our organization will grow," she said.

While SFK has been actively involved with the Kerry campaign, some students have noticed a lack of support for other democratic candidates.

According to Dreyer, the Tufts Democrats do not support any one candidate more than the other. They will not specifically endorse someone until after the primaries have passed and there is only one candidate.

"Some of the Students for Kerry members are active in Tufts Democrats, while others are new to politics," Richardson said. "[SFK] is a separate organization from any that currently exists at Tufts."

Although there are no other groups promoting other candidates, with similar visibility to SFK, Scott Merrick, a freshman, is trying to bring together Howard Dean supporters and plan Dean related events.

Merrick said without the Tufts Democrats' support on campus, SFK would not be as large as it is.

"There has been a total lack in support for any candidate other than Kerry. If the Dems were really not supporting just one candidate, wouldn't there be more groups devoted to each candidate?" Merrick asked.

Richardson countered that SFK is more visible on campus because they work harder to connect to students on a grass roots level.

Merrick said that Kerry has not been the most effective at leading a grassroots campaign aimed towards students. "Dean has garnered much support from many student groups across the country as a vital part of the Dean campaign." He could not understand why Tufts was not a part of that student movement.

According to Richardson, there is no doubt that students are key to the Kerry campaign because of Kerry's Bostonian roots. "When you are a Senator from a state where the capital city holds a 20% student population, when students talk, you listen." notes Richardson. "Students are for Kerry, because Kerry is for students -- with the record to prove it."

At the rally before Faneuil Hall, Kerry made no remarks directed towards students, but used most of his speech to criticize President Bush's record on tax cuts and health care.

Regardless of the candidate's home states, Richardson noted that Tufts' proximity to New Hampshire, the first state with a primary, will make students a vital part of the process.

Students provide the "energy, imagination, and idealism necessary for any successful Presidential campaign," says Richardson.

With the presidential primaries soon approaching, according to Merrick, SFK will promote Kerry harder, but he hoped to see a similar surge in support for Dean.