Principians in the Front Row—Literally
On their early January field program—“Race for the White House: A Front Row Seat to Presidential Politics”—Principia College students enjoyed extraordinary interaction in Iowa and New Hampshire with presidential primary candidates from both ends of the political spectrum. During the two-week program, students were literally a few feet away from and asking questions of most of the candidates on the campaign trail. Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush posed with the group for photos at respective rallies (pictured above); Marco Rubio took questions from sophomore Channing Fisher and senior Shontee Pant at a town hall meeting; Mike Huckabee mentioned the group by name during remarks at a campaign stop; and students engaged with Ben Carson during a standing-room-only campaign event.
Attending symposiums with party officials, scholars, and political activists; conducting interviews; observing citizen behavior—all of these activities deepened students' understanding of the unique role of these two states in the selection of the next President of the United States. Meanwhile, College friends and followers around the world enjoyed glimpses of the group’s activities through students’ daily posts on Facebook, Twitter, and the program’s blog. This first-ever student takeover of the College’s social media channels was a bonus for students and their followers alike.
Campaign Venues and Private Sessions
Braving crowded venues—coffee shops, high school cafeterias, and general stores—was key to catching up with as many candidates as possible. In all, the group (or at least members of the group) saw 11 of the candidates in person. They also met with individuals close to the candidates. Seniors, and a sophomore were part of a “meet and greet” with Hilary Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, for example.
In contrast to the public events, private sessions with campaign officials, political activists, journalists, pollsters, and faculty from local universities provided opportunities to dive deep into the history and nature of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Strong citizen engagement characterizes the mood in these states, where residents understand the high stakes of their votes. As students wrote in the program’s blog, “[C]itizens expect to meet and talk to candidates multiple times and believe the fact that candidates have to look voters directly in the eye as they shake their hands and answer their questions provides an accountability that strengthens the democratic process.”
Moments Off the Campaign Trail
The group connected with Principia alums in both states, attending church and enjoying lunch and conversation with church members. David and Kimberley Furbush (both C’83) treated the group to ice cream after a Wednesday testimony meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. In New Hampshire, the group attended the historic Christian Science Church in Concord and toured the edifice with Dawn Marshall (C'76). “We thoroughly enjoyed learning about the church’s beautiful, stained glass windows, Mrs. Eddy’s role in the founding of the church, and the restoration process the church has recently undertaken,” students wrote in the blog.
Pollyann Winslow (C’78) hosted the group for dinner in her home, complete with a cake decorated to celebrate 100 years of New Hampshire’s “First in the Nation Primary” status. Mrs. Winslow invited a New Hampshire state senator and local officials and campaign workers for an evening of conversation. “Another evening, we flopped on her living room floor to watch President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech,” students posted on the College’s Facebook page. Parents of one of the program participants, sophomore Brie Burns, welcomed the group to dinner at their home as well.
“The students took full advantage of every opportunity we had during our travels,” says political science professor Dr. Brian Roberts, who led the field program. “I couldn’t be more pleased with their level of engagement. Between the candidate events and forums with news editors, academicians, activists, party officials, and campaign chairs/workers, we all have a much more informed understanding of presidential campaigns and the key role Iowa and New Hampshire play in the presidential nominating process. These unique, experiential learning moments have transformed how we will approach the analysis of presidential elections.”
You can see the group’s posts at Principia College Facebook and on their blog. And the latest issue of Principia Purpose features an article about the primary process by Dr. Brian Roberts—“The Presidential Nominating Process: Achieving Intended Outcomes?” on page 42.