You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

Political science chair Dan Hofrenning has students 'stumping' in New Hampshire

By Carole Leigh Engblom
January 9, 2004

They could have spent January in Europe, Asia, Australia or the Caribbean. Instead, 15 St. Olaf students spent the three weeks before the 2004 U.S. presidential primary in New Hampshire interning on campaigns while presidential hopefuls canvassed the state giving campaign speeches, stopping in at diners, rallying voters and shaking the hands of residents.

'The New Hampshire Primary and American Presidential Politics' was a new January Interim course led by St. Olaf Professor of Political Science and department chair Daniel Hofrenning. In the highly charged and volatile atmosphere of the New Hampshire primary, Hofrenning's students served on the campaigns of Vermont Governor Howard Dean, retired General Wesley Clark, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and North Carolina Senator John Edwards -- and found themselves in the eye of the storm.

St. Olaf has a tradition of off-campus courses in January. Because the New Hampshire primary was at the end of the month, it was perfect for a January course. "Our students are all very articulate. It's like an honors seminar," says Hofrenning. "They are willing to work very hard on their campaign."

"It's fun," says Beth Bevis, a political science major and St. Olaf senior from Eden Prairie, Minn. who was working on Wesley Clark's campaign. "It's a lot of work doing the grunt work of the campaign, like counting leaflets and stuff. We all like our candidates. We get to choose who we want to work for, but overall we're just trying to find someone to beat Bush. Even though I like Clark and I support him, I will vote for whichever Democrat wins."

"Most of my students have little campaign experience," explains Hofrenning. "The biggest immediate impact is the chance to meet candidates face-to-face. New Hampshire offers students a chance to look the candidates in the eye, to ask them questions and to size them up in ways that television exposure can't offer."

In a larger sense though, they were engaging more deeply in American public life. "These are very idealistic students. They want to make this world a better place and see presidential campaigns as a place to get involved," Hofrenning says. "They are asking big questions about health care, tax policy and the war in Iraq. They're also engaging in the more mundane work of campaigns like putting up yard signs and distributing literature to New Hampshire residents."

St. Olaf students spent two-thirds of their time on the presidential campaign with the remaining third of their time spent in a traditional classroom or colloquia. Speakers included members of the media, political parties, academics, pollsters and campaign activists. They met with Helen Thomas and Marlin Fitzwater, heard all the presidential candidates as well as speakers like William Bennet, Ted Turner and Patricia Ireland (former head of NOW). They're learning about the New Hampshire primary and the broader nature of the presidential nominating process, trying to understand that process, in both its current and historical context and ask if this is the best way to pick a president.

"It will be interesting to see how the students will have changed over the month," says Hofrenning. "Will it make them more committed to the political process? Or will it turn them off?"

Hofrenning explains that despite the notoriety of the New Hampshire primary, few scholars have studied it in the larger context of the discipline of political science. "Critics have long questioned whether New Hampshire -- a rural, ethnically homogenous and conservative state -- should have such a preeminent place in U.S. presidential politics," he says. While New Hampshire has always had an important primary, most other states chose their delegates in a system of caucuses and conventions. Following the tumultuous election of 1968, a series of internal reforms prompted political parties to turn increasingly to primary elections as a way to choose their presidential nominees.

In 1960, there were nine presidential primaries. Today there are 35. The change reduces the power of party organizations and makes mass media campaigns more important, says Hofrenning whose students are assessing the media coverage and the relationship between candidates, reporters and voters. It's the ultimate in experiential learning and, says Hofrenning, "We're having a blast out here."

Contact Carole Engblom at 507-646-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.