Three CMC students have beat out thousands of hopefuls to represent their districts as delegates at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer. Sonja Palladino '04 and Alex Laushkin '07, representing California's 26th congressional District, will attend the DNC July 26-29 in Boston, followed by Rob Carpenter '06 at the Republican National Convention Aug. 30-Sept. 2 in New York City.
They will make use of their political experiences and interests to aid the presidential nomination process, as well as have the opportunity to be active in politics on the national level, says Jack Pitney, professor of government and author of The Art of Political Warfare.
Teaching at CMC, Pitney says, is like "wandering onto the set of The West Wing. Sometimes I address Rob, Alex, and Sonja as Senator.' Someday," he says, "that won't be a joke."
Palladino and Laushkin, who were elected delegates by the Democrats within their districts, will be involved in platform committees and represent the interests of their respective districts, as well as attend and organize local events to raise support for the presumptive nominee, Sen. John Kerry. Says Laushkin, "I will have the opportunity to talk about what the shape of the campaign will be like in California, and share that experience with people from across the country. I am also grateful that this experience will expand my horizons."
Says Palladino, "I most look forward to participating in the official kick-off of the Democratic presidential campaign and experiencing the excitement of Democrats from all around the nation. I want to bottle that enthusiasm and bring it home with me so that I may share it with all those I meet."
Carpenter, who was selected from a pool of 3,000 applicants, will attend a meeting next month to determine his specific responsibilities on the Republican side of the aisle. "It is definitely an exciting honor and opportunity to represent the people of the 38th district and help our president serve another four years," he says.
Center-stage politics is nothing new for these students. Laushkin is highly involved with the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges club, the John Kerry for President campaign, and helped bring Kerry's younger daughter, Vanessa, to CMC in March. Palladino is a two-time president of the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges club, a former southern state vice president for the California College Democrats, and currently serves as vice-campus coordinator of Claremont Students for Kerry. Carpenter has served as president of the Republicans of the Claremont Colleges, chairman of the Claremont chapter of Students for Bush, and state communications director for the California College Republicans.
Says Pitney, "A great thing about this College is that you can keep up with your students by watching CNN."