Spring 2008 — Vol. 61, No. 2
by Teresa Hopkins
Photography by Craig Mahaffey
Patrick Wright
Clemson’s political science experts, engaged students and beautiful campus sparkled in the national spotlight during the S.C. presidential primary.
From Barack Obama to Ron Paul, from CNN to FOXNews, from L.A. Times to Washington Post — Clemson was the place to be during the 2008 South Carolina presidential primaries. Faculty, staff and students prepared the stage well in advance for a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
Behind the scenes
Educational opportunities began with the fall 2007 Provost Seminar in Public Policy and Public Affairs. (The seminar is an annual series that has examined 9/11, the politics of radical religion, spreading democracy to other countries and related issues).
The fall 2007 seminar focused on the presidential campaign from start to finish.
Political science department chairman Joseph Stewart Jr. and Strom Thurmond Professor of Political Science J. David Woodard designed the course to bring candidates, pollsters, workers and national experts to campus to examine the presidential election of 2008.
Classes included an introduction to the S.C. primary, how candidates decide to run, campaign finance and candidate image.
“This was a unique opportunity for Clemson students and community members to learn what goes on behind the scenes of the campaigns, to see in person some of the people who are there, and for Clemson students to come to understand that by persistence and hard work, they could make a difference and promote the cause of their chosen candidates,” says Stewart.
Speakers included Joe Erwin, Clemson graduate and former chair of the S.C. Democratic Party; Michael Dobson, a recent Clemson graduate who works for a firm assuring compliance with FEC regulations; Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster; John Geer, Vanderbilt professor and expert on negative campaigning; Anton Gunn, Obama’s S.C. state director; Daron Shaw, University of Texas professor who devised President Bush’s electoral college strategy; Byron York, a national columnist; and Paul Abenante, former CEO of the American Bakers’ Association.
‘Primary stars’ appear
Presidential candidate visits were in part made possible by the collaborative work of the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs, the advancement division, the political science department and volunteer faculty, staff and students.
Interest in the candidates grew with each visit to Clemson. John McCain fielded questions from 275 attendees in November. Ron Paul’s visit, also in November, drew a crowd of around 600.
In January, when political advertisements, phone calls and activity increased in South Carolina ahead of the primaries, more than 1,000 people attended an outdoor rally at the Military Heritage Plaza for John Edwards. Jervey Auditorium hosted Mike Huckabee along with wrestler Rick Flair and actor Chuck Norris. A two-hour snow and ice delay for the University didn’t stop 2,500 people from participating in the afternoon rally.
On the Friday before the S.C. Democratic primary, Barack Obama, under Secret Service protection, energized a crowd of nearly 5,000 at the Outdoor Theater on campus.
“By visiting the University, presidential aspirants brought the excitement of their campaigns to campus, enabling Clemson’s students and those in the surrounding communities to become participants in high profile national campaign events,” says political scientist and professor Bruce Ransom. 
“The candidate events attracted national and international members of the traveling press corps, introducing citizens across the United States, persons in the international community, political pundits, among others, to Clemson University.”
Inside the voter’s mind
As national attention to the S.C. primaries increased, so did interest in the voting intentions of residents. The Clemson University Palmetto Poll served as a vital “snapshot in time” of what voters were thinking and which candidates they supported.
“What we saw over time was a real shift in allegiance. Early in our polling, Rudy Giuliani was doing well and John McCain was not, but as the date neared we saw a real surge by McCain,” says Woodard.
“On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were dividing the African American vote evenly, but in the last few days about 70 percent of this vote went to Obama, and that was the difference.”
Four editions of the Palmetto Poll were released — September 2007, November 2007 and two in January 2008. The polls surveyed 450 likely voters each wave, asking them how closely they had been following the race and how their opinions had changed about the candidates and issues over time.
‘Intense’ media interest
National television crews and reporters from outlets including CNN, NBC, FOXNews, PBS and Associated Press visited campus and called on Clemson political science professors for insight into South Carolina’s political history. International operations such as the BBC in London, Agence France-Presse and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. also showed interest.
“At times I felt like I was having the same interview over and over,” says Woodard, who would hang up from a call with a reporter just in time to welcome a television crew into his office — a common occurrence through January in the political science department.
Various newscasts and news reports of Clemson experts and candidates often featured Clemson orange or a Tiger Paw or the clock tower of Tillman Hall.
Clemson students were intensely interested, too. In fact, as Stewart says, “If some of the campaigns had been as organized and as energetic as their Clemson student supporters, the outcomes might have been different.” c
To learn more about Clemson’s “Election 2008” activities and political science experts, go to www.clemson.edu/election2008.