Student support untapped

Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds are in a constantly tightening race for Virginia's governorship, but at the University of Richmond the excitement level seems low - a factor that some think might spell trouble for Deeds as the election approaches.

"I haven't really seen anything as far as involvement on campus," said Rasheed Nazeri, who was president of UR Students for Obama during last year's election.

Deeds' campaign has been missing on campus, he said.

"A lot of the grassroots volunteers on campus are still here and interested in getting involved," he said. "It's a shame because sometimes all it takes is for someone to ask. I'm not sure what's going on with the Deeds campaign."

A Washington Post poll showed last week that Deeds was losing to McDonnell by 4 percent, and the RealClearPolitics.com poll average - an average of all the polls conducted in the race - shows Deeds down by 4.5 percent. This represents a tightening race because through much of August, McDonnell had been down by 12 percent.

The shrinking gap means the burden is on Deeds to get his base out to vote, especially because Virginia has elected the opposite party from the sitting president for governor in every election since 1977. This is what has been dubbed by pundits as "The Presidential Jinx," and with Democratic President Barack Obama in office, it means trouble for Deeds.

Neither Deeds nor McDonnell seem to be making a push for the votes of the hundreds of students who had registered to vote in Virginia during the presidential election last year. In September 2008, The Collegian reported that 375 students had registered to vote before the election, a number that increased closer to the election. Representatives at the polling station at Westhampton Baptist Church reported in November that students had driven a record voter turnout.

Adrienne Piazza, coordinator of events and student outreach at the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, said that she hadn't seen the same level of activism on campus for either candidate.

"We know that students on campus are registered, but I haven't seen much in the way of involvement," she said.

During last election season, Piazza helped organize voter registration drives, as well as viewing parties for the debates and election night, which were all well attended.

"I don't think we are doing anything differently this year," she said. "We are having a brown bag luncheon in October to talk about the election, and I'm sure we'll be doing voter registration drives closer to the election, but the energy just doesn't seem to be there."

It is unclear, based on last year's polling, whether an on-campus push would clearly benefit one candidate over another. A 2008 Collegian poll of undergraduates in November, before the election, showed that Obama had just 52 percent of the Richmond student vote. In context, Obama won the state of Virginia by 53 percent.

But an MSNBC exit poll in Virginia showed that voters 18-24 years old broke 63 percent to 34 percent for Obama.

Political science professor Dan Palazzolo said that Deeds would need to increase his efforts to get students mobilized.

"The energy isn't there and it really reflects the problem that Deeds is having," Palazzolo said. "He's got to do a better job reaching out to students and getting them out to vote."

Several factors are pushing Deeds' numbers down: the economy is still suffering, the president's approval rating is down and the health care debate continues, Palazzolo said.

The president's approval rating has dropped significantly among the 18-24 voter group. A Gallup poll last month showed that between July and August, the president's approval rating dropped from more than 70 percent to 60 percent, as the debate about health care and the rising deficit was being discussed in rowdy and angry town hall meetings across the country.

"As long as the president's approval numbers continue to fall, it's going to be a problem for Deeds," Palazzolo said.

Senior Zach Ferguson, a volunteer for the Democratic Party of Virginia's coordinated campaign who has been working for the Deeds campaign, said that he would like to see students on campus become more involved.

"Of course I would like to see the Democrats out and activating the base on campus, but really I'd be happy to see the Republicans out there as well," Ferguson said. "This is an exciting state and it's important that students get involved."

Virginia's governorship is an influential position in national politics, Ferguson said. Governor Tim Kaine became the chair of the Democratic National Committee and former Governor Mark Warner now represents Virginia in the U.S. Senate.

For Nazeri, it's about waiting for the Deeds campaign to reach out to students.

"I went to a volunteer meeting before the semester started," he said. "And at that meeting the volunteers talked about starting a 'Students for Deeds' organization but I haven't heard anything since. Again, it's a shame because I'd like to get involved."

Contact reporter David Larter at david.larter@richmond.edu