Email This StoryTexas becomes important primary site
Feb. 12, 2008
By Ashley Killough
Reporter
Last week was for the underdogs.
With the Giants winning the Super Bowl and Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Mike Huckabee doing better than expected, America is ripe with surprising outcomes.
The Texas primary jumped to a higher level of importance for the Democrats after Obama pulled closer to Sen. Clinton's lead during this weekend's primaries and caucuses.
"It's exactly what we needed," said Ryan Young, organizer of the Baylor for Obama organization. "Super Tuesday didn't change much, but this weekend marked the departure from the deadlock that existed between Clinton and Obama.
"Clinton is counting on Texas to stop Obama's momentum, but we're trying to get the word out on Obama for those who don't know who to vote for," Young said.
Baylor for Obama will canvass Saturday in the Baylor area, going door-to-door to educate voters on the issues. They will start at 11:30 a.m. at the Bear Cribs Off-Campus Housing Center.
Young is also trying to inform voters about caucusing in Texas.
"No one knows what to do, because everyone thinks that's something only Iowans do," Young said. To participate in a caucus, voters will go back to the same location where they voted earlier that day for the primary.
"They will return that night at 7:15, and they absolutely must be there on time," Young said. During the caucus, voters will stand in a corner designated for their favorite candidates. Both Republicans and Democrats are allowed to caucus but they must be registered.
The Obama camp is opening an office Saturday in Austin where volunteers can sign up to campaign in the Central Texas area. Ian Davis, volunteer coordinator for Texans for Obama, will work at the office and said he already sees a heightened political activism emerging in Texas.
"I think the excitement is through the roof," Davis said. "I've been doing campaigns for many years now, and I'm seeing people who don't normally get involved coming out and getting active."
With 228 Democrats' delegates up for grabs, Texas will be a critical state in determining the party's nomination.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Obama and Clinton will have a debate on Feb. 21 at the University of Texas.
According to Jana Hixson, associate director of the Baylor Office of Public Affairs, candidates will only be allowed to come onto Baylor's campus if they are participating in a debate that involves all candidates on the ticket.
Because Baylor is a nonprofit institution, its 501(c)(3) status requires that the university remain nonpartisan in political campaigns in order to stay tax exempt. The policy will be enforced until March 7.
Plano junior Stephanie Formas works with the Clinton campaign and is disappointed that candidates won't be able to speak individually on campus.
"I think Baylor is doing the best it can to get students politically motivated and activated, but I think there could be more cooperation on getting candidates on campus," she said. "I don't know how that could happen, because I really do understand Baylor's situation."
Formas said Clinton is coming to Texas today and will be campaigning in El Paso and San Antonio, hoping to lock the Latino vote.
"Senator Clinton has been winning the Latino vote 2-1 because of her strong policies on getting the economy back on track, a major concern of most voters." Formas said. "The Democratic nomination is head to head, and Texas, especially Latino voters, will have a major say in determining the Democratic nomination. It's an exciting time to be a Democrat in Texas."
Formas said that Clinton is coming to Texas today and will be campaigning in El Paso and San Antonio the rest of the week.
Baylor Republicans are also gearing up for the primary, and last week's straw poll results showed that Huckabee is the favorite among conservatives on campus. While Sen. John McCain still has a significant lead over Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor won several states over the weekend, campaigning with a message of hope.
"The governor outperformed expectations in Kansas and Louisiana," said Vincent Harris, Fairfax, Va., sophomore. "He did well not just with the evangelicals this weekend, and he is showing that he is still viable past the southern electorate."
Harris is the Huckabee blogger and was the online director for the Iowa campaign.
Harris said he had hoped Huckabee would come to Baylor before finding out about the recently-stated policy.
"Baylor is a conservative school and I respect that they're not trying to upset anyone and play fair, but I think with the student body overwhelmingly supporting Huckabee, students have a right on campus to hear what he says."
The Waco Mike Huckabee for President 2008 Meetup Group is a local organization that campaigns for the former governor. Information for its next meeting on March 1 can be found on its Web site: mikehuckabee.meetup.com.
Rockwall senior Blake Buchanan, organizer of the Huckabee group, is ready for the presidential hopefuls to travel across the Lone Star State.
"I think for the first time in a while the Texas primary will carry a lot more weight than it has in the past," he said. "I'll be excited to see all the remaining candidates actually come through Texas in full swing."
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