 "Photo: David Walter <i>The Daily Gamecock</i>")
South Carolina’s gubernatorial elections are less than a year away, but do students care?
“I haven’t heard anything, like absolutely nothing,” said Kristina Wilber, a first-year business student. “I don’t really care right now.”
But some do care — and they’re taking matters into their own hands.
Tesh Gandhi, a fourth-year political science student, has been interning for Nikki Haley’s campaign since August. Gandhi said he’s done everything from policy research to calling people, as well as holding a booth at the State Fair and talking to student organizations.
Before working for Haley, a Republican state representative from Lexington, Gandhi was a field director for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and served as the campaign manager for Student Body President Meredith Ross.
“I like her small business mindset,” Gandhi said. “She has a clear-cut idea of the inner-workings of a company and she how to use that knowledge in government.”
Haley, who is only 37, became the first Indian American legislator in the United States when she assumed office in 2004. Gandhi is also an Indian American.
“A lot of politicians make decisions based on theory, but Nikki doesn’t,” Gandhi said. “She’s straight forward — that’s what attracted me to her campaign.”
After the fallout from Gov. Mark Sanford’s extramarital affair this summer, Gandhi said students would be more likely to pay attention to the 2010 election cycle. Most of the gubernatorial candidates have already been on campus to court the college vote.
Haley, along with Democrat’s Dwight Drake, Vincent Sheheen and Jim Rex came to Capstone House Monday to talk politics at the Palmetto Gubernatorial Showcase. About 75 students showed up to the event.
In September, Republican candidate Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who is expected to declare his gubernatorial candidacy soon, spoke to the College Republicans about their campaigns.
“I think students are really going to be energized about this election,” Gandhi said.
“Campaigns are going to be working harder than ever to attract students from campuses.”
Taylor Cain, a third-year history student, is volunteering for Democrat Jim Rex’s campaign. Cain, a former student senator, said she hasn’t been this excited about a campaign since Hillary Clinton ran for president.
“Jim Rex embodies what a governor should be,” Cain said. “He’s real. Anyone who sits down with him for five minutes will realize that.”
Cain, the vice president of Gamecocks for Rex, said she was most impressed when Rex, who at 67, is the oldest Democrat running for nomination, wrote on her Facebook page following the Gubernatorial Showcase earlier this week.
Rex supporters have created a Facebook group devoted to student involvement in the campaign. Cain said the group has nearly 70 members after only a week of existence.
“As soon as he walked in the door [Monday night], he had a herd of college students around him,” Cain said of the current state superintendent of education. “He gets people excited. That’s what a Democrat needs to do to win in South Carolina.”
Despite the early excitement, Cain said she’s still worried about voter apathy.
“What happened this Tuesday in Virginia and New Jersey showed us people forget easily,” Cain said. “We’re going to beat the street to make sure people know about Jim Rex.”
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