By STACEY VAN VLEET and ADAM BUND
Equipped with political campaign paraphernalia and determined optimism, members of the Duke Democrats and College Republicans turned out last night to track the election returns and urge their candidates onto victory. And, for the most part, shouts of triumph were accompanied by vocal frustration on both sides.
Congregating in front of a large screen television in the Sanford Institute of Public Policy, the Duke Democrats celebrated President Clinton's re-election victory, even though they had regarded it as a foregone conclusion from the night's outset.
By 7 p.m., when Clinton was declared the winner in Florida, which traditionally votes Republican, many Democrats were already enthusiastically proclaiming, "It's over!" and celebrating Clinton's triumph with high-fives. Trinity sophomore Jon Robell, co-chair of voter registration for Duke Democrats, said he was "blown away that [Clinton] won Florida." A newscaster's speculation concerning the likelihood of a "comeback miracle" for Bob Dole elicited a sarcastic laugh from Trinity sophomore Drew Wooldridge, secretary of Duke Democrats.
And though an overwhelming conservative mood reigned among the College Republicans, gathered intently around a small television set in the apartment of their president, Trinity junior Michael Bowling, they reluctantly acknowledged Clinton's probable victory early on as well-though not before letting fly sardonic remarks targeting the Democratic incumbent.
"I'm afraid we're going to have two more years of Clinton...[because] he'll be impeached by then," said Trinity freshman Robert Shibley, referring to the President's alleged acts of political and personal misconduct.
To the College Republicans' chagrin, their cries of dismay at Clinton's successes outnumbered their cheers for Dole's modest electoral victories. In the end, though, the Republicans found satisfaction in the fact that Clinton was defeated in their state of North Carolina.
It was the hotly contested North Carolina Senate race between Republican incumbent Jesse Helms and the Democratic challenger Harvey Gantt that held the principal interest of both campus political organizations.
Early on in the evening, Trinity senior Raj Goyle, president of Duke Democrats, declared, "I'm guaranteeing a Gantt victory-if we have a high voter turnout." Indeed, North Carolina had a record 72 percent turnout, which has historically helped the Democratic party, but it was still not enough to make Goyle's prediction come true. Though Trinity junior and Duke Democrats vice president Kanika Blue remained "cautiously optimistic and hopefully realistic" about Gantt's chances, the Democratic candidate came up short once again to Helms, who earned his fifth consecutive term in the Senate.
Helms' victory provided political redemption for the College Republicans, who were still discouraged by Dole's defeat,. Their discontent was evidenced by a Clinton-Gore election sign-with a hammer and sickle replacing the "C" in Clinton-that hung proudly along a wall of the apartment. Every time exit poll numbers favorable to Helms appeared on the television, their excitement rose noticeably. Trinity freshman and North Carolina native Nicole Carter, who bore a "I'm a Student for Jesse Helms" bumper sticker plastered across her chest, expressed a confident satisfaction and a sense of validation at Helms' reelection that was echoed by her fellow Republicans.
Said engineering freshman John Fred: "So many people tell me, 'I'm voting in North Carolina to beat Helms'-what a waste of time."
Yet despite the bitter pill they were forced to swallow as a result of Helms' re-election, the Duke Democrats found reason for celebration in other state races. Indeed, the festive mood was heightened as news of Democratic victories in North Carolina continued to pour in-Governor Jim Hunt was re-elected, David Price regained his House seat in the fourth precinct and Bob Etheridge captured the House seat in the second precinct.
For all the joy, frustration and predictability that yesterday's election brought, the Duke Democrats were, on the whole, satisfied with the results and the work done by University students involved in the political campaigns.
"I'm happy tonight regardless of the outcome of the senate race," Goyle said. "This campaign season has shown Duke students to be active, informed on the issues and energetic."
And the College Republicans, by night's end, were comforted with the knowledge that Republicans retained control of both the House and Senate. In fact, those gathered wasted little time in forecasting their hopes for their party's future.
"I'd love an Elizabeth Dole and Colin Powell ticket," said Carrie Lancaster, Law '99, already looking ahead to the next presidential election.
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