Obama Support Runs High at Bipartisan Campus Event

While visitors to the Broadway Sky Lounge munched on 300 cheeseburgers Tuesday evening at the Columbia Programming Assistants’ event, other Columbians met in the basement of River residence hall for an election results-watching party, where the atmosphere was expectant yet low-key.

Organized by the Columbia Political Union, the College Democrats, and the College Republicans, the event attracted mostly supporters of Barack Obama, a turnout representative of the now-president-elect’s appeal among young voters that culminated in Tuesday’s election.

Nick Shea, CC ’09 and general manager of the CPU, reflected on the high level of student engagement in this past election cycle. He said that student involvement was not “tied to a single issue or event” but rather was inspired by Obama’s personality.

The audience erupted in applause when Obama’s Pennsylvania win was projected. They also greeted Kay Hagan’s victory in North Carolina with excitement. Between cheers, audience members mocked the dramatic tone of the news anchors. “They will make it look tense as long as they can” said Ian Crone, CC ’10.

Students took the time to think about their level of involvement in the election. Crone said he admired those who found time to work on the election, though he had not done so. Without money to donate, Crone said, he felt that he had not contributed much. Kaylin Marcotte and Kiva Eisenstock, both BC ’12, both expressed enthusiasm for Obama, but neither had been involved in campaigning efforts on campus.

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama’s opponent over the epic two-year campaign, lost the fight to maintain Republican leadership in the White House, but Lauren Salz, executive director of the College Republicans, said that the development will not constitute a fundamental shift for her group. As the election closes, their activities will not change significantly. “The College Republicans do not focus on activism ... . It was never a large part of what we stood for,” Salz said.

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