Release date: March 5, 2004
Contact: Deb Hammacher, Associate Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0644 or dhammac@emory.edu

Emory Students Embrace Political Campaigning

Emory students on the road helping John Edwards campaign

Although political participation and voting among college students remains low, some Emory students are bucking the trend by getting actively involved in this year's political campaigns, and working hard on the grassroots level.

Jason Bradford is just a freshman, but the Emory student and Chicago native has been working since last summer campaigning for John Kerry (Bradford's dad is a friend of Kerry's brother), and looks forward to voting in his first presidential election.

"Our next step is to wait and see what happens with the selection for vice president, and still do some light campaigning and voter registration drives," says Bradford, who helped organize a few dozen students during the heat of the primaries. As the campaign moves forward, he expects more people to join in, including students who previously worked on other campaigns that have ended.

Emory sophomore William Tinkler, a political science major, also is waiting to see who gets tapped for the vice president slot. Tinkler was the first college intern for the John Edwards campaign in Georgia, and traveled to Iowa and his home state of South Carolina to campaign.

"Campaigning was exhausting, but it was worth it to work on something you believe in. I'm of course disappointed that Edwards' campaign has ended, but I don't think we've seen the last of him at all. I'll still definitely support Kerry in November," says Tinkler.

Emory's College Republicans also have been active. Some Emory students will be interning for the Bush-Cheney campaign this summer, and others are working on more low-key primary congressional contests.

Sophomore J.B. Tarter, a political science, history and economics major, is working for Georgia Congressman Johnny Isakson, who is running against businessman Herman Cain for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat to be vacated by Zell Miller this year.

"I joined the campaign because I feel I have a chance to make a difference, and I wanted to get more involved in the political process," Tarter says.

Tinkler can be reached at 843-810-3358 or wtinkle@emory.edu. Bradford can be reached at 847-370-0537 or jmbradf@learnlinke.emory.edu. Tarter can be reached at 678-595-9822, 404-251-4009 or jtarter@learnlink.emory.edu.

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