Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

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by Shelley Ryan Reagan steals the show; Local candidates co-star in political scene T he political stage found an actor- turned politician challenging the in- cumbent in the hottest race of the year. However, even with a strong third candidate adding sparks to the race, the final act of the contest seemed anti-elimat- ic. The 1980 presidential race was expected to be a close contest, and those clustered around radios or televisions anticipated a long night as they watched the election returns. However, incumbent Jimmy Carter conceded the race before the polls in the West were closed, and students knew early in the evening on Nov, 4 that Reagan had gained the required 270 elec- toral votes and would be the next presi- dent. National I was expecting to stay up until 2 or 3 o ' clock the next morning watching the re suits come in, Terry Meier, Atchison sen- ior, said, but by 9 o ' clock that evening it was all over. A month earlier, students had predicted the winner in the presidential race. ARA polled students on their choice for the na- tion ' s leader in a mock election on Oct. 7, Reagan gained 28 percent of the vote in the mock election, while Carter received 22 percent. Independent candidate John An- derson polled 25 percent, white 25 percent were undecided on their choice. The large vote for Anderson in the mock election characterized the support for him among young people across the nation. The young ' people proved to be one of his strongest bases of support, although he polled only 7 percent of the vote national- ly. Students displayed Anderson T-shirts, buttons and other campaign items in far greater numbers than any for Carter or Reagan. Perhaps one reason for this sup- port was the dissatisfaction with the two major-party candidates. He (Anderson) just seemed to have more gusto, Peter Simpson, Oberlin junior, said. When he talked, he sounded excited and made you feel excited. He also was a different kind of candidate, with new and definite ideas on the issues. He seemed to be more realistic about making promises and seemed more honest. Pat Drinan, professor of political sci- ence, played a direct role in the national election. He traveled to New York in Au- gust as a Kansas delegate to the Democrat ic National Convention, Drinan, however, was a delegate for Carter ' s opponent in the red indicates states carried by Carter, plus Hawaii (49 electoral votes) white states carried by Reagan [489 electoral votes) 28 Elections

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mm w Cadets Charles Ekey and Melodic Allen use the DunnKempf Battlefield simulation game to improve leadership and tactical skills. Advanced course cadets listen to a lecture by Cadet Captain James Hazlewood. ROTC 2

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State 1 st Congressional District: Pat Roberts (RJ over Phil Martin (D) 37th State Senate District: Joe Norv ell (DJ over Bernice Holmes (R) primary. Sen. Edward Kennedy, Drinan said that he became involved originally in the Kennedy campaign because he felt Carter was not doing his job, ' 1 thought that perhaps Kennedy could unify the par- ty, Drinan said. After working locally for the Kennedy campaign with literature drops, radio advertisements and letters to the editor, Drinan was selected by the state party as a convention delegate. Members of the College Republicans and Young Democrats sponsored the visits of state candidates to the campus. Demo- crats John Simpson and Phil Martin, and Republican Pat Roberts were each guests on campus during the campaign and vis- ited with faculty and students, spoke to political science classes and distributed campaign literature. One student oversaw a state candidate ' s campaign in this area, Craig Green, Hays senior, served as Ellis County chairman for the U.S. Senate campaign of John Simp- son. I have been active and am well- known in the local Democratic Party,’ 1 Green said. I had met John several times before and had been impressed with him, so when he asked me to coordinate his campaign here, 1 accepted the job, Green was in charge of all aspects of Simpson’s campaign, including raising money, over- seeing advertising, making press releases and appointing a local group of active, long-time Democrats to serve as a steering committee. Like most local campaigns, the campaign here for Simpson was most- ly door-to-door, Green said. Both students and the people of Hays seemed to take a greater Interest in the election. Over 82 percent of the registered voters in Ellis County visited the polls. The Associated Students for Kansas sponsored a voter registration drive Oct. 6-10. ASK Local County Commission: Harold Kraus (R) over Bob Batman (D) Orlando Wasinger (D) unopposed 1 1 Oth House District Bob Miller (RJ over Bob Binder (D) Elections 29