Political Desk

Published: April 24, 2008

Clinton: Will campaign in Mac Saturday

By STARLA POINTER
Of the News-Register

McMinnville High School history and government teacher Larry Saunders is scrambling to rearrange his weekend plans so he can be at school on Saturday, when former President Bill Clinton makes a campaign stop there.

“To miss a president coming to Mac High? There’s no way,” he said.

The former president will visit the high school gym at 1:45 p.m., speaking on behalf of his wife, Hillary Clinton, in her campaign for the presidency. The McMinnville visit is part of a whirlwind tour that will start on the southern Oregon coast Friday night and touch down in Monmouth, Oregon City and Portland on Saturday, as well.

Saunders expects to see many of his students in the crowd, as well. They always are interested in elections, he said, especially seniors who are turning 18 and getting to vote for the first time.

But the interest is even higher this time around, he said. Students are interested in the close race for the Democratic nomination, but many are even more excited about one particular candidate - and it’s not Hillary Clinton.

“I think they’re pumped about Barack Obama, more than the ongoing campaign,” Saunders said. “They’re interested that he’s young, African American, attractive, articulate and a newcomer.”

Mac High students who support Obama have a table set up in the school commons, where they are encouraging classmates to register to vote, said Principal Kris Olsen.

Olsen said he’s pleased to see students interested in taking part in the election process. The presidential visit should only add to their excitement.

“We’re not in a position of promoting any one candidate, of course, but for a past president to come to our school … I expect we’ll have a good turnout of students just because it’s a past president,” he said.

More than half the members of the Class of 2008 already have reached voting age. At Mac High and other high schools, many students are registering soon after their birthdays just so they can have a say in the presidential election.

At Dayton High, history teacher Dave Fluke also has noticed a great deal of interest in voter registration. He offered registration forms at a senior class meeting on Wednesday. By the end of the day, 10 students had filled them in - a particularly large number considering the class is comprised of about 70 students, some of whom already had registered and some of whom aren’t yet 18.

“I had a junior come up and say she’s upset because she can’t vote this year, because she won’t be 18 until December,” Fluke said.

While Mac High’s Saunders is seeing more interest in this year’s election than in the one four years ago, Fluke said the interest he’s seen at Dayton High is about equal to the 2004 level.

However, Fluke said, there is a difference: Four years ago, the majority of students tended to lean one way. This year, there’s more debate, with students showing support for both parties and both Democratic candidates.