Penn students rally behind GOP candidate Katz

Unlike Democratic opponent John Street, Republican hopeful Sam Katz has won spport from an active group of students. Signs decorate the streets, flyers circulate among students, buttons keep appearing on jackets -- a political campaign has hit the Penn campus. The campaign? Sam Katz for Mayor. As his push to be Philadelphia's first Republican mayor in 50 years hits its final climactic weeks, Katz is earning a wide range of support from Penn students, Democrats and Republicans alike. Several Penn students work in the Katz campaign office and over 50 of them are drumming up votes for him on campus by urging students to register to vote and holding Katz for Mayor meetings. Meanwhile, his Democratic rival, John Street, has no Penn volunteers and no visible base of support within the University. "I have actively sought the support of the student body on the Penn campus," said Katz, who has made several trips to campus -- including a speech in a Wharton class two weeks ago. What's happening here is not unlike the rest of the city, where longtime Democrats are turning their support to Katz. Though he remains an underdog, Katz has made a race out of a general election that is usually a non-event. Even an endorsement from popular outgoing Mayor Ed Rendell has not guaranteed a victory for Street. The former City Council president has kept a very low profile since winning the Democratic primary last spring, while Katz has been vigorously campaigning and courting the voters he needs in a city with a 7-2 Democratic advantage. "[Katz is] more in tune with our ideas and our philosophies," said campaign volunteer and College sophomore Jarrod Koenig, a 34th Street magazine staff member. But Street spokesperson Ray Jones said the students-for-Katz movement will not be a factor in the election. Jones said college students were not a key concern for their campaign, largely because most are not from the area. "For Katz it looks good but he can't get [any] votes out it," Jones said. Fighting the assumption that college students will not affect the election, the Penn for Katz organization has been out on Locust Walk registering hundreds of voters and talking to students about the Katz campaign. College senior Patrick Ruffini was a founding member of the group, which currently has about 60 members. And students have responded positively to Katz's moderate Republican platform, which focuses on education reform, lowering taxes and fighting crime. Ruffini, who has worked for Katz's campaign since January, said they registered 300 to 400 voters last week. He estimates that about 500 students were already registered. "I think [Penn] is a valuable new source of votes," he said. "We could impact the result." While the College Republicans have officially endorsed Katz, the College Democrats have not decided which candidate to back. But College Dems President Mark Christy, a College senior, said he personally would support Katz . Christy said he could not vote for Street because "he's against initiatives that support gays and lesbians." He added that Street is "a power-hungry monster." And College junior Cam Winton works for Katz's campaign although he is a Democrat. "Rendell is a saint. I love Rendell," said Winton, who wears a "Democrats for Katz" button. But he added that "we need fresh ideas about problems." "We believe that if they look at both candidates they can't make any other choice," Senior Class President and College Republicans Chairperson Lisa Marshall said. "I think Sam Katz will be a refreshing change."

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