The Garden City Telegram
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Candidates sprint to the finish
Published 11/1/2008 in News : Politics
By SHAJIA AHMAD
Kansas state officials are expecting record-breaking turnouts at the polls Tuesday, the finish line for a presidential race that has been on since the beginning of 2007.
The Secretary of State's office predicts about 1.4 million Kansans will turn out for Tuesday's general election, about 150,000 more voters than in 2004.
Political experts and Democratic insiders began to speculate on a Barack Obama presidential run as far back as the 2004 Democratic Convention, when the candidate was running for his U.S. Senate seat and delivered a well-received speech to his party.
John McCain, R-Ariz., whose short U.S. Congress term and long Senate career began in 1982, announced his candidacy for the White House first in 1999 and again at the beginning of last year.
Most area voters are split between the two candidates, reminiscent of a bi-polar America.
Lauren Gleason, 28, Garden City, said she is voting for the Republican ticket even though she is a registered Democrat.
Gleason said she feels that Obama, D-Ill., is not as experienced as his opponent when it comes to handling issues of national security. She added that she really would have liked to have seen Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as the democratic candidate and will vote in favor of another woman on Election Day.
"I think (Sarah) Palin is really different from a lot of the vice presidents, and she'll make a really interesting candidate -- I really hope they get it," Gleason said.
Vietnam veteran Mike Dyer said he also will vote for McCain because he thinks the Arizona senator is a pro-life candidate, supports the Second Amendment and clearly understands the concerns of veterans.
"I've been in southeast Asia, and I've seen what happens to people when they can't defend themselves," Dyer, a 61-year-old Garden City resident, said as he explained why he supports a person's right to carry a gun. "McCain's been there, he knows the ins and outs of veterans' concerns, and I don't think Obama has any concern for the veterans."
Others favor the first bi-racial candidate on the Democratic ticket.
Leroy Seay, a Garden City resident, said he'd already voted for Obama because he represents average Americans rather than a wealthy elite.
"I just don't think we need any other wars, and (McCain's) another bomber-pilot, just like Bush," Seay said. "Obama will keep us out of any wars -- and, I think he's got a better grasp on what to do with the economy, too."
Mary Olguin, also of Garden City, said she plans to vote for Obama because he comes from a middle-class minority background and she thinks he understands and shares its concerns.
For Olguin, whose 17-year-old daughter, Melissa, translated for her mother from Spanish to English, the most important issue for her and her family is education.
"I want to make sure that my children can study, and that they have the money to get a good college education and have a fulfilling career," Olguin said.
While most people touted their views strongly, a good number of folks said they chose to remain disengaged from the election, for various reasons.
Teresa Smith, a 25-year-old Mennonite, said she and the people of her church, Church of God in Christ, do not take part in the election process.
"We avoid getting all wrapped up in it," Smith, a Montezuma resident, said. "We're supposed to be pilgrims in this world."
Garden City resident Noel Ramirez said he had never voted and didn't plan on doing so on Tuesday -- he just can't make the time.
"Honestly, I don't know what it would take for me to get involved," said Ramirez, a single-father of three who added that he barely has time for his daughters.
Ramirez added that he does get chided by his friends for not taking part in the elections and would encourage his girls to take part, even though he does not.
In 2004, 62 percent of Kansans voted for President Bush, and most electoral maps based on national polls and surveys predict that Kansas will bleed red come Tuesday in a state where nearly half the voters are registered Republicans.
Those registered as Republicans represent 44 percent of the voting body in the state while Democrats and unaffiliated voters represent 28 percent each. About 10,000 voters are registered Libertarians or Reformers.
Ward Loyd, chairman of local Finney County Republicans, said he supports the McCain and Palin ticket because the candidates adhere closely his party's principles.
"There's obvious momentum in their favor," Loyd said. "I think the election is going to be much closer than many of us imagine."
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