Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008

Blue buzz

Democratic excitement catches on in red state

The buzz created by the Democratic National Convention, which kicked off Monday in Denver, has filtered into Republican-heavy Kansas.

And some say it’s even a bit closer to home.

Burdett Loomis, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said there’s more interest locally in this year’s election than in years past.

“The energy is way on the Democratic side this time,” he said.

That buzz, Loomis said, has been a result of the popularity of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who will accept the party’s nomination Thursday, and the competition between him and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for that nomination. Also adding to the excitement was the recent attention given to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who was rumored to have been on Obama’s short list for vice president before he chose U.S. Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate.

It all began in Kansas on a record-setting “Super Tuesday” in February, said Bill Roy Jr., chair of the Johnson County Democratic Party and delegate at this week’s convention.

“The turnout for the caucuses was about 30 times the historic average,” he said of the more than 37,000 Kansans who participated in caucuses, according to figures from the Kansas Democratic Party. “We planned for a turnout many times over the historic performance, and it was many times greater than that. “That certainly kick-started the year.”

Harry Mullins, a steering committee member of the Olathe Area Democrats, said the excitement was evident from caucus participants who stood outside for hours in freezing rain just to be a part of the political process.

“And those folks have continued to become involved,” he said of the increased number of registered Democrats in Johnson County.

Lifelong Democrat Jan McConnell of Overland Park, a librarian with the Shawnee Mission school district, is a first-time delegate at the convention — one of 41 from Kansas.

She said she became involved with the Obama campaign and after the caucuses was urged to run as a delegate. McConnell said it was an honor to represent Kansas in an important election.

“I feel like it’s bigger than Kansas; it’s bigger than the United States,” she said. “It really affects the whole world who we elect.”

Roy said the buzz nationally comes down to people’s desire for change at the White House. But, he added, that change has to take place at all levels.

“In the public’s eyes, certainly, and what most people understand, a presidential candidate gets the most attention. Although, I’ll say as a county chairman, every single race is important...” Roy said of the 28 of 29 local races affecting Democrats that voters will weigh in on in November. “It’s certainly going to be a very exciting year federally and throughout Johnson County.”

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