2008 Woodie Awards
Senate campaigns continue, with support from Macalester volunteers
By: Matt Day, News Editor
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
Almost two months after the beginning of the delegate selection process for the Minnesota senate race, the race shows no signs of stopping before the state DFL nominating convention.
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party's pool of candidates vying for the party's nomination was cut down to two following the withdrawal of St. Paul lawyer Mike Cerisi from the race March 10.
The remaining candidates, former comedian and radio host Al Franken and St. Thomas Professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, both have cultivated strong followings at Macalester.
The first candidate to announce his candidacy, Franken got his foot in the door at Macalester even before he was officially running with the help of Will Howell '08.
Howell met Franken in 2005 at a fundraiser for Chris Coleman's ultimately successful campaign for Mayor of St. Paul. Howell said he expressed interest in working for Franken's radio show, and two years later that contact materialized into Howell being named Franken's Student Outreach Director.
Howell has helped spread the word about the campaign's need for interns at Macalester and statewide.
"From the top down we made an effort to recruit Mac students for the campaign," Howell said. "We have Mac students and grads all over this campaign."
The results of that recruitment are impressive. Of the about 40 high school and college interns working for the Franken campaign, aproxamently15 are Macalester students.
Maria Princen '10, who was recruited to the campaign by Howell in spring 2007, said she didn't have a favorite in the race before signing on with the campaign. Princen said that changed shortly after she began working.
"I love the atmosphere of that campaign," she said. "It's more inspiring than anything else."
Princen, who works on Franken's finance team, said she's surprised by how much the campaign uses its interns.
"We're actually trusted to be a part of confidential information on the campaign," she said.
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party's pool of candidates vying for the party's nomination was cut down to two following the withdrawal of St. Paul lawyer Mike Cerisi from the race March 10.
The remaining candidates, former comedian and radio host Al Franken and St. Thomas Professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, both have cultivated strong followings at Macalester.
The first candidate to announce his candidacy, Franken got his foot in the door at Macalester even before he was officially running with the help of Will Howell '08.
Howell met Franken in 2005 at a fundraiser for Chris Coleman's ultimately successful campaign for Mayor of St. Paul. Howell said he expressed interest in working for Franken's radio show, and two years later that contact materialized into Howell being named Franken's Student Outreach Director.
Howell has helped spread the word about the campaign's need for interns at Macalester and statewide.
"From the top down we made an effort to recruit Mac students for the campaign," Howell said. "We have Mac students and grads all over this campaign."
The results of that recruitment are impressive. Of the about 40 high school and college interns working for the Franken campaign, aproxamently15 are Macalester students.
Maria Princen '10, who was recruited to the campaign by Howell in spring 2007, said she didn't have a favorite in the race before signing on with the campaign. Princen said that changed shortly after she began working.
"I love the atmosphere of that campaign," she said. "It's more inspiring than anything else."
Princen, who works on Franken's finance team, said she's surprised by how much the campaign uses its interns.
"We're actually trusted to be a part of confidential information on the campaign," she said.
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