Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: News

Though the youth vote is generally accepted as an advantage for Obama, Clinton's campaign is hopeful that she will receive a significant portion of this demographic as well.

"We feel pretty good about the college vote here," said Clinton spokesman Brendan Gilfillan. He said he believes the fact that her final event before the primary was a rally on Penn's campus "says a lot about how we view the college vote."

The Obama campaign acknowledged his advantage among young people, but some say the youth support may not be enough to win the state.

"Obviously college students and young people in general have been very helpful to this campaign," said Obama spokesman Matt Lehrich.

While Penn Political Science professor Richard Johnston agreed that Obama will benefit from the youth turnout, he questioned whether it would be enough to help him win the election.

That sentiment was echoed by College sophomore Lauren Burdette, the president of Penn Democrats, which has endorsed Obama.

At this point, the effect of the youth vote "would be to limit [Clinton's] victory to single-digits," Burdette said.

< prev Page 2 of 2

Article Tools