Student Supporters Key to Final Push

Late Monday night, Shauna L. Shames '01 crept around on strangers' porches, dropping pamphlets bearing Bill Bradley's likeness on their stoops. Luke P. McLoughlin '00 stayed up all night placing Bradley campaign signs in Concord, N.H. And Thomas R. Snider, a third-year student at the Law School, got up early one morning to guard about 300 McCain for President signs. (Other campaigns like to take them down).

Enthusiastic, dedicated and a little sleepy, Harvard students have done whatever it takes over the past week to ensure that their presidential candidate emerged triumphant in the New Hampshire primary.

"It's no harm done for a few sleepless nights. It's definitely worth it," said Shankar Duraiswamy '02, a Bradley supporter.

Yesterday, Harvard-affiliated volunteers for the presidential campaigns made their final push, wrapping up an intense week of digging in the frozen ground to put up campaign signs, making rapid-fire phone calls and doing "lit. drops" for events with the candidates themselves.

According Marcie B. Bianco '02, who helps organize Gore supporters at Harvard, 40 to 50 such students were campaigning for the Vice President across the state yesterday.

Snider said that McCain supporters drove people to the polls and were at nearly every polling site in the state, reminding people that McCain is running to "make a difference."

For campus organizers like McLoughlin, "Get Out The Vote" week, as it is called in New Hampshire, is the culmination of months of hard work.

"[We're] doing everything we can to make the final push," McLoughlin said. "It's been an absolutely amazing experience. We're like in the eye of the storm."

Shames said McLoughlin has been an energetic leader.

"He's been putting up signs and standing on corners and yelling," she said.

Bianco compared the excitement of the campaign to the rush she felt as an athlete in high school.

"It's very cool," she said. "The adrenaline is pumping."

That adrenaline comes in handy for the late nights.

Shames said the "lit. drops" she did until 3 a.m. Monday were exciting, but also a little tense.

"We were creeping around these streets...trying to sneak away before people's dogs started barking," Shames said.

For McCain's candidacy, Snider said that he put flyers on car windshields and put up 213 signs in roadside snow banks one night.

But he also shepherded the 10 Harvard-affiliated McCain campaigners into doing "unexciting things" such as mailings and phone-bank calls, which Snider says is "the job everyone likes least."

Yesterday afternoon, as the exit polls predicted a tight race between Gore and Bradley, supporters speculated on the future.

"If Gore wins this, it pretty much closes the door on Bradley's chances," Bianco said. "People around the nation look to this primary."

McLoughlin said that a strong showing by Bradley in New Hampshire was critical. His candidate must compete against the strength of Gore's union endorsements and the Democratic Party establishment's support in the rest of the country.

"I think it's really important to make a really, really strong showing," McLoughlin said.

"New Hampshire historically has been very different, and I'm sure it will be no different this year," he said.

Shames said that a Bradley victory would be "a major morale boost" and would give Bradley momentum.

"If the votes come through, it will be easier to get some of the money," she said.

On the Republican side, Snider described the primary as "vitally important."

"If [McCain] doesn't win here, he's really going to be in trouble," he said.