GOP primary 2012: All about who you know

By Jonathan McFadden
mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com

With cues taken from the general population, “name recognition” and “familiarity” may be the motivating factors college students employ when deciding who they will vote for in the first-in-the-South primary on Jan. 21, says Political Science Professor Adolphus Belk.

“Do we know you” and “what do we know about you” are questions students and South Carolina residents will be asking when they head to the polls Saturday, Belk said.

For example, Belk hypothesizes that Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may have a hard time capturing the college student vote since most of his public dispute with former President Bill Clinton’s administration unfolded in the early ‘90s, when the current college constituency was still in diapers.

A little over 125,000 registered voters between the age of 18-21 voted in the 2010 Republican primary and about the same number voted in the Democratic primary, according to statistics from the South Carolina State Election Commission.

For however many Winthrop students preparing to vote in the primary this year, Belk suggests they consider their self interests, society’s interests and make sure they’re in-the-know before stuffing the ballot box.

Students should consider the type of society they would want to live in, Belk said, and see if any of the five GOP contenders match their priorities.

Now with a plethora of information available at their fingertips, Belk said students can consult reputable news sources, Internet sites and the candidates’ own track records to help them make a decision.

Seeing the candidate’s faces in person may also be of some use.

Since June 2011, four Republican candidates have flocked to campus, holding town hall meetings, rallies and meet-and-greets to make their marks in York County.

But, like Belk said, college student attendance was minimal at best.

“Some of these things were held at times when students were not around,” Belk said.

Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann stumped on campus in late June. Rick Santorum held a meet-and-greet with York County residents in McBryde Hall in the middle of July, while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman rallied on campus at 8 a.m. on a Friday in November.

“I don’t know if all of these things were designed with the student population in mind,” Belk said.

Gov. Nikki Haley’s October visit to campus, on the other hand, was different, Belk said. She came to campus at around 6 p.m., when many students could attend.

“She took their questions and their criticisms,” he said.

Former presidential candidate Herman Cain also rallied on campus, his visit taking place on a Friday afternoon in September.

College Republicans President Timothy Kroboth said in November he met with two volunteers for Ron Paul’s campaign on the steps of Byrnes Auditorium. He gave them his e-mail address and requested that they contact him to arrange an appearance by Paul on campus.

 “I never received a follow-up e-mail from them,” Kroboth said.