Lotteried Edwards IOP Event Booked

Although Sen. John Edwards’ presidential bid has failed to gain traction among New Hampshire primary voters thus far, the North Carolina Democrat’s slated Oct. 13 appearance at Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP) is generating quite a buzz on campus.

Nearly 1,300 students and community members entered an online lottery for 450 seats in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum where Edwards will be Monday, according to Andy Solomon, director of communications and outreach at the IOP. Pugnacious talk show host Chris Matthews will interview Edwards on live national television in the Forum at 7 p.m.

An additional 350 tickets will be distributed by the IOP through the Harvard College Democrats, the Harvard Republican Club, and other student and community groups, Solomon said.

The IOP seeks to bring all nine Democratic contenders to campus this fall as part of an MSNBC special series, “Hardball: Battle for the White House,” but four candidates—retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Ohio Representative Dennis J. Kucinich and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut—have yet to confirm arrangements to attend.

Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, who had been scheduled to appear at the IOP on Nov. 10, withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday, but his spot in the series has not yet been claimed by another candidate, Solomon said.

“We are continuing to work with all the other candidates,” Solomon said.

Kucinich however, has agreed to address members of the College Democrats in Kirkland House’s Junior Common Room (JCR) later this fall, the group announced yesterday.

“Rep. Kucinich will come on either the first or second Tuesday in November, depending on the Congressional schedule in terms of voting,” Speakers Director Joseph M. Hanzich ’06 said.

The group is trying to bring all of the candidates to Kirkland for conversations with students.

Edwards will speak at the Kirkland JCR at 5 p.m. on Monday before the IOP event, Treasurer Joel C. Washington ’05 said.

There is a “95 percent chance” that Sen. John Kerry will also speak at Kirkland on Oct. 20 before his appearance at the IOP, Hanzich said.

“The only glitch is whether his plane can get here on time,” Hanzich said.

“Whoever didn’t get into the IOP lottery is perfectly welcome to come to Kirkland, and even if they are going to the IOP event, they can still come,” Washington said.

The IOP will host a “fresh new lottery” for each “Hardball” telecast, but students who failed to win spots for the Edwards interview will not have priority for future candidate appearance, Solomon said.

Edwards’ visit to Harvard is part of a broader effort by the senator to court younger voters, said Tait Sye, a campaign spokesperson.

“There is a lot of excitement for Senator Edwards on college campuses,” said Sye, who noted that Edwards’ “College for Everyone” plan, under which the federal government would fund the first year’s tuition at public universities for students who work at least 10 hours per week, has resonated with younger voters.

The throngs of Harvard students seeking tickets for Edwards’ IOP appearance far dwarfs the crowd of around 200 students that attended Edwards’ Oct. 6 address at the University of New Hampshire.

“This is a sign that Harvard students are really engaged in the political process,” Sye said.

Edwards will return to New Hampshire Monday night in preparation for his slated visit to Dartmouth College on Tuesday, Sye said.

A Zogby International poll of likely New Hampshire primary voters released in late September indicated that Edwards’ support in that state measured an anemic 2 percent.

In South Carolina, a crucial early primary state, Edwards has surged to the front of the pack in the past month, with a late September poll by the American Research Group showing Edwards holding a 9 percentage point lead over his closest rivals, Lieberman and Clark.