Buckey cited the war in Iraq as the issue most important to his campaign. He believes the war is a direct result of U.S. dependency on foreign oil. To solve this problem, Buckey said he believes America must invest in research to find technological solutions for renewable energy.
"We need to lead in the alternative energy economy so we can continue to lead in the global economy," Buckey said.
In addition to solving issues of national security, a focus on renewable energy will help to provide solutions to important environmental problems, Buckey said in an interview with the Dartmouth.
Buckey said in his speech to the College Democrats that his experience as a scientist will enable him to address the issue of alternative energy as a member of the U.S. Senate.
If elected, Buckey said he will also aim to make healthcare more accessible. He said he believes his work as a doctor and a professor of medicine allows him special insight into the medical industry, adding that he plans to solve problems within the bureaucracy of the current healthcare system, which he said consumes between 25 and 30 percent of most patients' medical costs.
"I think that I can offer the experience that is needed in these times," Buckey said.
Buckey is running against former Governor Jeanne Shaheen for the Democratic nomination. Polls indicate that Shaheen holds a significant lead. Both Democratic candidates hope to oust incumbent Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., The national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is focused on Sununu's defeat in New Hampshire because it must gain nine additional seats in the Senate to obtain enough of a majority to override a filibuster. The Republican party must defend 22 Senate seats in the 2008 elections as compared to the Democratic party's 12.
Although former Democratic candidates Katrina Swett and Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand dropped out of the race when Shaheen announced her candidacy, Buckey said he remains optimistic about his chances and was encouraged by the large youth vote in New Hampshire's presidential primary on Jan. 8. Buckey, who has never run for public office, believes that his careers as a doctor and an astronaut, as well as his experience in the armed forces, provide a welcome contrast to the career politicians against whom he is running.
"Our Founding Fathers did not envision permanent politicians," Buckey told The Dartmouth earlier this month. "Congress should be made up of people who represented and lived in their communities. They didn't want a professional class of politicians."
David Imamura '10, the Winter term president of the Dartmouth College Democrats, organized Buckey's appearance and said he plans on inviting Shaheen to speak at the College as well.
