Two prominent Democrats came to campus to spread their message yesterday, but a major focus of the event was why not to vote Republican.
Students came out in force to hear Democratic Senate candidate Bob Casey and Gov. Ed Rendell speak at a rally in the Terrace Room of Logan Hall.
The speakers mentioned education, the minimum wage and tax-cuts and made a number of attacks on the current administration and Casey's opponent, the incumbent Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).
The two men have substantial leads in the polls and are likely to represent Pennsylvania in the coming years.
Casey arrived nearly an hour late and left shortly after his brief speech to attend another event.
Still, applause greeted almost every word as he laid into Santorum, the third-most senior Republican in the Senate.
Casey said that the Democrats would "chart a new course together" if elected, and that Santorum stands for "more of the deficits and debt, more of the deceit" that he believes characterizes the Bush administration.
"Santorum is satisfied with where we are in America - I'm not," he said.
Rendell, a Penn graduate, was left to give a fuller outline of his party's successes in Pennsylvania and ambitions for national government.
Rendell, who has taught a class at Penn and is the former mayor of Philadelphia, highlighted his record in the city and Pennsylvania, including what he called making an "investment in the future" by funding social-welfare and education programs.
He also attacked the Bush administration's tax cuts, asking what good it did for Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to pay fewer tax dollars.
Rendell praised Casey's record as State Treasurer and said he was pleased to have Casey as a candidate, "not just because we're getting rid of Santorum, but that might almost be enough."
The mood was buoyant, with the mostly Democratic audience clearly anticipating a Tuesday victory.
The Iraq war, North Korea and national security were hardly mentioned.
Isabelle Kenyon, a spokeswoman for the College Republicans and a College sophomore, said she felt Casey's speech was lacking in substance.
"I think Bob Casey is the worst candidate for the Senate possible," Kenyon said. "He didn't address a single real issue."
Clayton Robertson, who helped organize the event for the Penn Democrats, disagreed.
"I thought he said a lot," Robertson said. "He talked about the price of education, raising the minimum wage and support for immigration reform."
Robertson said he was thrilled to have such high-profile figures come to Penn, even for a short visit.
Kenyon said she took issue with Rendell painting the Democratic Party as pro-choice when on stage with Bob Casey, who opposes abortion rights.
Solomon David, a College freshman from Philadelphia, said he admired what Rendell had done for the city.
"He's the definition of a Philadelphian," David said.
David said he believes Casey would be more willing to work with Republicans than some other Democrats.
"Compared to Santorum, [Casey] is not as strong a politician, but he's got the experience necessary, and I support his pro-life stance," he said. "It's good to have someone less partisan who can think for themselves."
