Last night, local politics made its presence felt on campus when the Hanover Inn hosted a meet-the-candidate function for local Republican State Senate candidate Jim Rubens.
Rubens, a resident of Hanover, spoke for several minutes and then mingled with the crowd, which filled the Inn's meeting room and included several members of the College community.
Amidst remarks by prominent state and local Republicans, including Governor Steve Merrill, Rubens spoke of "bright prospects for the Republican Party," joked that Hanover was a "lion's den" of Democratic feeling, and poked fun at Democrats for campaigning against him rather than supporting Anne Rowe.
The spirit of the event was very upbeat, with each speaker predicting success at all levels in the November elections.
After his remarks, Rubens expressed a hope that Dartmouth students would support his campaign.
"I would say [to them that] the world has changed radically and politics is catching up, [especially the Republican Party]," he said.
Rubens also expressed his desire that Democratic students give Republican candidates a chance in the November elections, stressing the "broad-minded" nature of the party.
The event was well-covered by the media, drawing photographers and television news crew to the Inn.
Though he did not give an issues-oriented speech, Rubens' campaign literature includes a hard-line anti-tax stance. He also proposes to reorganize New Hampshire's public education system with and greater support for poor school systems.
Students from both the Republicans at Dartmouth and the Young Democrats stood outside the Hanover Inn holding campaign signs before and during the early portion of the event.
Although no protesters attended, the Rubens meeting drew many conservative Dartmouth students, including Justin Heather '96, a candidate for the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
Saying that he "helped to organize the youth support," Heather said he felt the event was "a showcase for the strong Republican turnout" he expected in November and urged Dartmouth students to get involved in the campaign.
