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Raleigh, North Carolina
N.C. could turn from red to blue COMPILED BY CHRIS ALLRED | PHOTO BY MICHELE CHANDLER | GRAPHICS BY SUSANNAH BRINKLEY
HOW NORTH CAROLINA VOTED IN THE LAST 25 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS:
NORTH CAROLINA COULD TURN BLUE North Carolina has the potential to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1976, and Andrew Taylor, professor and chair of political science, said it’s about a fifty-fifty chance. “It’s hard to tell either way,� he said. There are many other states, such as Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Colorado, that voted for George Bush in 2000 too but have the potential to vote for democratic nominee Barack Obama this year. North Carolina has the benefit of college towns as well as high numbers of blacks and citizens who have come from other parts of the country, Taylor said. One reason Taylor said Obama has had such a boost in North Carolina was his strong showing in the Democratic primary in April. “It helped him get his name across,� he said. “He had an organization [established], a network of supporters. Time spent creating that campaign organization has been good for him.� According to Pollster.com, its latest poll of polls has Obama leading Republican rival John McCain 48.7 percent to 46.9
REPUBLICANS PLAY DEFENSE While Democrats try to sway North Carolina from red to blue, Republicans are playing defense to keep a conservative in the White House. Ches McDowell, chair of Students for McCain and sophomore in political science, said an Obama win is a possibility in North Carolina. “Anything’s possible, but I think in the end, North Carolinians are too smart to go to a blue state,� he said. There is strong support for Pat McCrory, the republican candidate for governor, and McDowell said that could mean bad news for democrats running in this year’s election. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a Republican governor,� he said. “I just don’t think it’s the year for the Democrats.� Typically North Carolinians support Democrats that are more conservative than Obama, McDowell said. Before Obama started gaining in the polls in states like Virginia and North Carolina, Republicans had taken the state for granted, he said. “If more [candidates] lose in North Carolina and it becomes mixed up, the red starts to disappear a little bit,� he said.
John Cengel, a senior in business administration, talks with his friend Sarah Herndon, a Raleigh resident, outside the Pullen Arts Center’s early voting site. “Young people are a lot more energized in this election,� he said.
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EARLY VOTING About 1,000 voters, including many students, turned out to the Pullen Arts Center Thursday for North Carolina’s first day of early voting, site supervisor William Britt said. “Usually on the first day, it’s quite crowded,� he said. “Saturday, Nov. 1 is going to be as busy as it can be.� Stephanie Crenk, a junior in biochemistry, and her friend, Jessica King, a junior in chemistry, voted Thursday. Crank said the state of economy has made this election more important for students. “I’ve never really been interested in politics until now,� Crank said. Crank and King are both looking to graduate soon, and after applying to numerous outlets, they said they have not found jobs yet. Crank said the classes of 2009 and 2010 will likely feel the heaviest effects of the economy, and “the country’s never really been like this.� Britt has worked in voting sites for about 15 years, he said, and he said this election doesn’t seem to be too different from others with turnout. Twenty eight people are on staff at the Pullen Arts Center, and Britt said they could handle any surges in voters.
DEMOCRATS COME FROM HARVARD TO CAMPAIGN Since North Carolina entered its swing-state status, Democrats from all over the country are wanting to campaign in the state to turn it blue. But they’re not doing it without help. In one example, the Harvard College Democrats at Harvard University are organizing a trip for up to 275 students to campaign in North Carolina, Georgia and Indiana, with one group coming to Raleigh. Sam Novey, communications director for the group, said it is working through TravelForChange.org. “The way the site works, you have volunteers like us who don’t live in swing states, and Travel for Change allows people who don’t have the money to buy a plane ticket to a swing state, [by connecting] them with volunteers who have the money,� he said. Americans in Italy for Obama is the group supporting the Harvard Democrats on their trip, according to President Jarret Zafran, and the campaigners will come to their assigned state by Nov. 1, to motivate voters to get to the polls. Zafran said campaigning could also help boost voter return for U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan, and other Democratic hopefuls that could overturn Republican incumbents. “These races that weren’t considered as competitive are now our golden ticket to reach 60 in the Senate,� he said. These students have had practice campaigning almost every weekend in New Hampshire, a swing state that only requires an hour-long trip, Novey said.
? Republican
Thompson Theatre renovations extended Crews have changed the date of the project’s completion after finding unexpected problems in the structure James Layman Deputy News Editor
CHRISTIN HARDY/TECHNICIAN
Susan Fishel, a senior in environmental technology, works her aunt and uncle’s “Miss Debbies Specialty Apples� booth at the N.C State Fair. Fischel is a veteran of the booth. This is her fourth year selling the custom, colorful treats, as she’s helped out since her freshman year at N.C State. “My favorite ones are the Caramel Apple Pie and the Reese’s peanut butter cup,� said Fishcel.
N.C. STATE FAIR KICKS OFF
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ates to the State Fair opened Thursday, and organizers like Steve Troxler, commissioner of Agriculture, are expecting this year’s turnout to exceed that of last year’s fair, which brought 859,000 people to the fairgrounds off Blue Ridge Road. Troxler, a 1979 alumnus, said he hopes 1 million people walk through those gates, helping fund renovations and projects — like the Expo building — on the fairgrounds. That’s despite an economic downturn that has caused some to save their money more carefully. Tickets are $7 at the gates and $5 in advance.
READ MORE ON PAGE SIX.
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The opening of Thompson Theatre has been delayed six weeks due to problems in the building’s structure, Alex Miller, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said. The 82-year-old building was expected to be completed sometime in late December, but as renovations continued, crews found problems that Miller said are not uncommon in old buildings. “We had always anticipated the schedule would stretch out,� Miller said. “You run into things you don’t know about. We call those unforeseen circumstances. If you’re building something brand new, you don’t have that. You know exactly what you’re getting. If you go into an 82year-old building that has been converted from a gym, you’re going to have things surprise you.�
Assessment The crews went around the building and assessed it, giving it good reports, while students and faculty still continued to use it. “Without tearing down the walls, we tried to determine the status of the building,� Miller said. “We had contractors come in and assess it and almost every category of the assessments said the building was in really great shape for being so old, which made our jobs easier. But still, with such an old building, you have to expect to find surprises.� These surprises included problems with the old floor and the structures supporting the building, Miller said. Before it became Thompson Theatre in 1963, the building housed Thompson Gymnasium. The gymnasium was originally established to give students a chance to have a scheduled fitness routine since military drills were no longer required after WWI. “Since it was a gym, it had the typical gym floor, which we had to take up,� Miller said. “Once the crews took up one layer of flooring, the THOMPSON continued page 3
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