Dems speak close to home

Signifying the growing importance of California in the primary elections, three leading Democratic presidential candidates have made campaign stops in the state in the past week, while candidate-affiliated student groups have begun stepping up their support efforts.

And with the state’s primary less than a month away, political scientists have said though party candidates are still relying on the vote of demographics that have supported them throughout the campaign, they have also begun expanding their audience.

Within the previous week, Southern California has been courted by democratic party candidates Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

Candidate affiliated student groups, such as Bruins for Hillary, have also stepped up their campaign efforts and have attempted to reach out to students in recent weeks.

Bruce Cain, the executive director at the University of California Washington Center, said by moving up the primary from June to February, the state has become an important figure to presidential hopefuls ““ a reason for the increasing presence of candidates in California.

“This is the first time in decades that California’s mattered. This is a wonderful opportunity. You’re going to see more candidates here and your votes are actually going to matter,” Cain said.

Additionally, California has the most assigned delegates to the national convention, with 173 delegates, according to the New York Times.

In light of the state’s impending primary, Clinton made several appearances in Southern California, including one at a Baptist church in Compton and at California State University, Northridge.

Her husband and daughter also joined her on the campaign trail, both reaching out to young voters.

Former president Bill Clinton spoke on her behalf to students at UC Davis, while earlier in the week, daughter Chelsea visited a student apartment on Veteran Avenue and a Panhellenic sorority house.

Cain said since the Iowa caucus, he has noticed that candidates have begun shifting their appeal to different demographics.

“People are expanding from their strength and base. With the presence of her daughter, Hillary’s trying to reach out to the youth more,” Cain said.

Keith Poole, a political science professor at UC San Diego, said Clinton won in New Hampshire by increasing the turnout of women.

Likewise, he said, Obama will win in the upcoming South Carolina primary because of support from the state’s large black population.

But addressing a predominantly black audience during her visit to Compton, Clinton catered her speech toward a demographic Obama has relied on for support in the past.

And with the help of her daughter and husband, she also been making strides toward college students ““ a group Cain said has been typically supportive of Obama.

“College students were big supporters for Obama. If they get motivated, they could be an influence on a close election. … The spotlight is on them now,” Cain said.

Conversely ““ playing off of Clinton’s base audience ““ Obama met in San Francisco with working, single mothers to discuss his economic proposals.

Edwards, who according to the Los Angeles Daily News has one of the nation’s largest union endorsements, continued his appeal to union workers during his visit in Los Angeles last week.

On the democratic side, Clinton is currently leading Obama by 5 percent in California, while Edwards is trailing behind Obama by 21 percent, according to the Presidential Polls 2008 Web site.

In the Republican primary polls, Sen. John McCain, D-Ariz., is leading at 24 percent, followed by Mitt Romney at 17 percent.

Though there has been a strong presence of democratic candidates in California, Bruin Republicans Marketing Director Mark Stefanos said he believes Republican candidates also recognize the importance of the California vote and will begin campaigning in the state after the Florida primary.

“I think that California is traditionally a blue state. However, this year more than any year in history, California is going to have a huge impact because (the state) moved our primary up,” Stefanos said.

And with the start of the primary season underway, students from both parties have continued their efforts in campaigning for their candidate of choice.

Last Thursday, Bruins for Hillary held a phone-banking event in hopes of rallying support from students and local residents for the party candidate.

“Here, UCLA students are calling UCLA students. We’re trying to reach our own students,” said Danielle Lincors, a third-year political science student.