With the elections for Massachusetts governor only months away, political campaigns are starting to kick into gear. One prospect, Democrat Deval Patrick, has found a significant following among Tufts students.
Patrick, the first major African-American gubernatorial candidate in the state, will challenge current Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly for the Democratic Party nomination in the September primaries.
Patrick has enlisted numerous Tufts students - including junior Amanda Mendel, senior Rafi Goldberg and freshman Jennifer Bailey, among others - to help with his campaign.
Describing Patrick as "a very impressive leader... [who] surrounds himself with a spirited and dedicated staff," Goldberg said that when he initially visited Patrick's Web site, he "agreed with... Patrick on every single issue I could think of - something which is an extremely rare occurrence for me."
Additionally, Patrick's college coordinator is Tufts junior Mitch Robinson, a newly elected Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator. Robinson joined Patrick in March of 2005, during the early phases of his campaign. Robinson began by organizing Tufts support for Patrick, but is now in charge of support for all Massachusetts colleges.
Robinson said that he was attracted to Patrick's personality. "[Patrick is] not accommodating, and makes decisions that he feel will best lead and contribute to community politics," he said. "The best politicians are those that lead off of what they believe is right, not what is politically right."
Although Patrick has logged previous government experience as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration, the Massachusetts gubernatorial race is Patrick's first campaign. Robinson said that the campaign is a grassroots effort, with Patrick speaking at mainly small venues, such as public libraries.
Critics are quick to point out that Patrick has limited political experience. A Feb. 19 Boston Globe editorial called him "an untested, un-vetted political unknown."
But with a good showing at the Democratic caucuses against "an established Tom Reilly," Patrick has cleared his first hurdle, according to Libby Devecchi, press representative for Patrick.
A Boston Globe poll on Feb. 16 found that Patrick has erased the gap between him and Reilly, matching the 40 percent of support that Reilly received.
The Democratic state convention in early June means that Tufts interns for Patrick have their work cut out for them in the coming months.
"Tufts has always been one of the strongest places of political activism, a testament to Tufts Democrats and Republicans," Robinson said, so he intends to "pull in people who are already politically active. Students [are] just starting to be able to vote. We have the energy to really affect an
election."
Indeed, colleges and universities play a strong part within Patrick's
campaign. As part of his role as college coordinator, Robinson works to "let students know that the more we contribute to political campaigns, the more voice we'll have in government. [Patrick] is already paying more attention to students."
Part of Patrick's interest in colleges and universities comes from his emphasis on education. "Education has been a major agent of change in [Patrick's] life," said Devecchi, referencing a scholarship that allowed Patrick to leave Chicago's South Side to study at Milton Academy, a prestigious Massachusetts boarding school.
Involvement and close study of political campaigns is not unusual at Tufts. Political Science Professor and Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser brought his class on a field-trip to the New Hampshire primaries during the 2004 presidential election.
Robinson is helping to organize a rally on March 11 for Patrick at Faneuil Hall, which expects to see over 1,000 students in attendance.
In addition to the large rally, Patrick "wants to speak with as many college campuses as possible," Robinson said. "He's told me he'll be - in some capacity - at Tufts University."
