As cash rolls in, students are a focus

Everybody loves attention - and Penn students may be getting plenty of it, thanks to the funds mayoral candidates have been raising for the upcoming primaries.

Last week, former Councilman Michael Nutter announced that he had $1.4 million in the bank, while state Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Phila.) has raised $1.3 million; Rep. Bob Brady (D-Phila.) said he had over $1 million stashed away for an expected mayoral bid.

While spokesmen for these campaigns declined to discuss what the funds will be specifically spent on, Penn could be a tempting target for any candidate looking to win students over through advertising dollars.

Last election, Mayor John Street won with only an about 9,000-vote margin, possibly making the 20,000 Penn students - many of whom are registered to vote in Philadelphia -- a determining factor in this year's race, said Kevin Feeley, a former adviser to Gov. Ed Rendell.

But how will campaigns target a large population of mostly 18 to 25 year olds - many of whom aren't native Philadelphians and don't tune into traditional local media such as CBS news-radio affiliate KYW and The Philadelphia Inquirer?

Nutter campaign manager Bill Hyers said his campaign has recognized that it will not be able to target students through these common outlets and will instead focus on an "extensive grassroots outreach," including a field staff to reach out to Penn students.

"Getting to college students is not like we can throw a bunch of ads on the news," he said.

Hyers added that Nutter has made a commitment to meeting as many Penn students as possible in order to present them with a "progressive" face ready to tackle corruption and crime, two issues the campaign feels will resonate among students.

He said Nutter has already made between six and eight trips to campus this campaign season.

According to spokesman Tim Spreitzer, the approach of the Evans campaign is two-fold: Focus on issues important to Penn students and reach out to them using media outlets frequented by a younger generation of voters.

Crime, the number-one issue for Evans, is also expected to draw in Penn students, who have to deal with the city's growing murder rate just like any other Philadelphian, Spreitzer said.

In addition, the campaign will be marketing itself to students through popular social-networking sites such as Facebook.com and Myspace.com.

Spreitzer also hopes that voters in the 18-to-25 demographic will turn to the campaign's Web site, which - like many of the other candidates' sites - will feature a Web log for the campaign.

Brady spokeswoman Andi Pringle declined to comment on any media strategies because Brady isn't a declared candidate, though she did say that his ties with Penn are strong - he teaches a class at the University on politics.

The other two declared candidates - businessman Tom Knox and Rep. Chaka Fattah, who represents Penn's district in Washington - will release how much money they raised Jan. 31, the due date for campaign-finance forms.

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