2008 Woodie Awards
College Republicans work GOP candidates
Students campaign for and mingle with 2008 presidential candidates during Mackinac Island conference
Brandon Muri
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Hillsdale College Republicans teamed with 2008 Republican presidential candidates at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference last weekend.
The conference, held the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, included speeches by seven of the nine GOP candidates, a book signing by Newt Gingrich and strategy sessions for the 2008 election year.
The students passed out campaign literature, chatted with interested voters and heard the candidates speak.
Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, John McCain and Ron Paul spoke at the conference. All the candidates spoke at the Grand
Hotel to an estimated 1,500 Republicans who attended the conference.
The Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney campaigns and Michigan Republican Campaign Organizer Holly Huges paid for the transportation and lodging of 17 College Republicans.
Three students accompanied the Thompson campaign, three assisted Mitt Romney and eleven helped Hughes.
"All three paid for lodging with the understanding that the students would help with the campaigns," said Craig Kreinbihl, College Republicans vice chairman.
Junior Gavin Phelps worked two ten-hour days for the Fred Thompson campaign. Phelps said the most rewarding part of the trip was the chance to see all the presidential candidates speak.
"When you see them live - their gestures and mannerisms - you can tell if they are scripted or genuine," Phelps said. "Before I was not sure who I was going to vote for… After listening to two candidates, now I know who I am going to vote for."
Kreinbihl said the College Republicans does not endorse presidential candidates, and that the group sought campaign work at the conference for all of the candidates.
"[The College Republicans] do not support one specific candidate," he said. "We sent letters to all the candidates, and the ones who wrote us back are the ones who ended up sponsoring the students who went."
The two candidates not in attendance were former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado.
The conference, held the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, included speeches by seven of the nine GOP candidates, a book signing by Newt Gingrich and strategy sessions for the 2008 election year.
The students passed out campaign literature, chatted with interested voters and heard the candidates speak.
Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, John McCain and Ron Paul spoke at the conference. All the candidates spoke at the Grand
Hotel to an estimated 1,500 Republicans who attended the conference.
The Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney campaigns and Michigan Republican Campaign Organizer Holly Huges paid for the transportation and lodging of 17 College Republicans.
Three students accompanied the Thompson campaign, three assisted Mitt Romney and eleven helped Hughes.
"All three paid for lodging with the understanding that the students would help with the campaigns," said Craig Kreinbihl, College Republicans vice chairman.
Junior Gavin Phelps worked two ten-hour days for the Fred Thompson campaign. Phelps said the most rewarding part of the trip was the chance to see all the presidential candidates speak.
"When you see them live - their gestures and mannerisms - you can tell if they are scripted or genuine," Phelps said. "Before I was not sure who I was going to vote for… After listening to two candidates, now I know who I am going to vote for."
Kreinbihl said the College Republicans does not endorse presidential candidates, and that the group sought campaign work at the conference for all of the candidates.
"[The College Republicans] do not support one specific candidate," he said. "We sent letters to all the candidates, and the ones who wrote us back are the ones who ended up sponsoring the students who went."
The two candidates not in attendance were former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado.
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