More than a vote

Penn students are jumping into political races across the country to influence the outcome of 2014 midterm elections, which could change the makeup of Congress.

“You can’t really change how governments support you if you are just sitting at home,” said Penn Democrats Outreach Director and College sophomore Ray Clark . “And that’s why I personally volunteered. Just doing my part on that end can make sure that we have leaders who support our values in the long run.”

Clark canvassed for gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf  and participated in phone banking for congressional candidate Kevin Strouse, who is running in Pennsylvania’s 8th District . “I’ve helped certain candidates because they have a strong vision for education and job creation.”

Deputy Executive Director of Pennsylvania Democrats Diane Bowman said the party values the volunteers.

“We need to train the leaders of tomorrow, and there is no better place to start than [on college campuses],” she said. “Their manpower and their strength of numbers and their intel and their savviness with social media is pivotal to some candidates’ success or failure.”

While Penn Democrats have focused more on local races as the Nov. 4 election approaches, College Republicans have volunteered for Republicans challenging Democratic incumbents across the country, with the goal in mind to have Republicans take control of the Senate.

They have helped the social media operations of Republicans Charles Djou, a Penn alum who is running for Congress in Hawaii’s 1st District , and Carlos Curbelo, who is running in Florida’s 26th District . In addition, they plan on phone banking for former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, who is running for a Senate seat in New Hampshire .

The College Republican National Committee has identified college students as key voters and spent $2 million this election cycle on television ads and field operations during the 2014 midterms.

“In a lot of cases, young people have been a deciding factor in lots of midterm elections,” CRNC National Chair Alex Smith said.

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