Presidential hopefuls gain support

As the presidential primary race heats up, University of Minnesota students are finding ways to support Republican candidates vying for the Oval Office.

Economics sophomore Rachel Jansen, who has a strong interest in politics, began working on former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s campaign in his Minneapolis office at the start of summer.

“I really like the campaign,” said Jansen, a member of College Republicans at the University of Minnesota. “It’s really fun and I’ve met some really smart people.”

Jansen has spent the past weeks helping plan Pawlenty’s events in Iowa and calling the state’s voters, urging them to participate in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll in August and in the caucuses in 2012.

“It’s still early on in the election,” Jansen said. “He’s been gaining a lot of momentum, really getting his name out there.”

The two candidates who made their names in Minnesota, Pawlenty and U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, have spent much of their time trying to gain voter support in Iowa, said Kathryn Pearson, a political science professor at the University.

Iowa has the first caucuses in the nation, and therefore is a major geographical and reputational asset for presidential hopefuls, she said.

Pawlenty raised $4.2 million in the second fundraising quarter. In contrast, Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney raised more than $18 million. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman netted $4.1 million in 10 days.

Pawlenty’s “numbers are disappointing for him and his team,” Pearson said, and they show that he hasn’t gained the traction he needs among both individual and large Republican Party donors.

Bachmann is expected to release her fundraising totals Friday. Pearson guessed her totals will surpass Pawlenty’s by a wide margin.

Bachmann set a U.S. House of Representatives record when she collected more than $13 million for her 2010 re-election campaign.

Pearson said despite his disappointing fundraising numbers, Pawlenty has a chance to recover. She compared his position to Arizona Sen. John McCain’s status at this time in 2007. McCain went on to win the Republican nomination for the 2008 election.

Bachmann has “turned a real corner in terms of being taken seriously,” Pearson said.

Regardless, it may not matter — Pearson said both Pawlenty and Bachmann “would have a tough time” carrying Minnesota in a general election.

Not all Minnesota students are concerned with supporting the homegrown presidential hopefuls.

Chris Huxtable, president of the University’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty and a mechanical engineering senior, said many of the Republican candidates were unimpressive and had voting records that contradicted their platforms.

“They’re more of the same old, same old,” Huxtable said.

YAL members plan to host events and set up tables around campus in the coming year to increase voter turnout for the 2012 election, he said.

While his group doesn’t endorse a candidate as Republicans compete for their party’s nomination, Huxtable said U.S. Congressman Ron Paul lined up well with his YAL’s principles.

“He’s a pretty spot-on representative of our ideals,” Huxtable said. “He’s a leader of the mainstream movement right now.”

Huxtable said a few YAL members plan to drive down to Ames for the straw poll next month to support conservative candidates.

Though she enjoys the work, Jansen is unsure if she’ll continue her position with the Pawlenty campaign when school starts.

“It’s a lot more work than I thought it would be,” Jansen said.