The political tides of primary season are turning away from Howard Dean and toward John Kerry, and campus groups are following suit.
Last week, a handful of UB students established UB 4 Kerry, a group formed as an outlet for students to promote Kerry's campaign platform.
"There is a lot of support (for Kerry at UB) but a lot more out there to get," said Tim Barry, a senior history major and founder of UB 4 Kerry.
Barry became interested in Kerry's campaign around the start of the year. At the time, the candidate was nearly written off by most political pundits. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll on Jan. 12 showed Kerry in fourth place with 9 percent of the vote.
Barry began to work on the campaign by getting signatures around his North Buffalo home to put Kerry on the New York state primary ballot.
"I thought I was doing work for a losing effort," Barry said.
This feeling is not new to the UB for Dean group, which formed in August of 2003 when Dean was not seen as a serious contender, according to Jessica Keltz, first year law student.
"No one knew how he would do," Keltz said. "The campaign did better than we ever expected."
Keltz would characterize her fellow Dean supporters as passionate about the candidate and his issues.
Although Dean's once-unstoppable campaign is losing ground, Keltz remains positive about the candidacy.
"If (Dean) never gets the nomination, he changed the tone of the debate," Keltz said.
Keltz felt that it might be difficult for Dean supporters to immediately throw their support behind John Kerry.
"I don't think people are going to drop their Dean signs and go to a Kerry meeting the next day," Keltz said.
While on a trip to New Hampshire to volunteer for the Dean campaign, Keltz felt an unusual animosity between Kerry and Dean supporters that was not evident between other camps.
"Kerry has really changed what he is talking about, more towards Dean's message," Keltz said, explaining that for some Dean supporters, it appears as though Kerry is borrowing Dean's issues.
Although according to Keltz, UB for Dean is still receives inquiries from interested students, its work is winding down from its most active period when it was holding fundraising parties and traveling to New Hampshire to volunteer.
UB for Kerry is working to round up supporters including local politicians to join an event on Feb. 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. in 330 Student Union.
"We'd like to get his issues out there," Barry said.
