Despite age, McCain can compete with youthful Obama among students

As both parties’ respective nominating conventions near, it appears likely that the 2008 presidential race will pit Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in November’s general election. After months of primaries and caucuses, these two presumptive candidates are emerging to gain their parties’ full support nationwide.

Political views aside, there could be no sharper contrast between both men: the youthful and charismatic Obama, though inexperienced, has quickly climbed to the top of the political pecking order by capitalizing on his colorful background, eloquent speeches and calls for change; the 71-year-old McCain, on the other hand, is a more traditional candidate of the establishment—despite his reputation for being a maverick—boasting over 26 years of legislative experience and an impressive military background.

While Obama’s campaign is often characterized by its sizeable base of younger voters, McCain’s younger voter base does not quite pale in comparison. According to a recent poll conducted by the Harvard University Institute of Politics, subjects between the ages of 18 and 24 favored Obama over Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) 70%-30%. When matched up against McCain, however, the discrepancy significantly diminished as Obama only led 53-32 percent in a hypothetical general election matchup. A recent MTV/CBS poll had the two candidates even closer, with Obama leading McCain 52-39 percent.

The mere fact that McCain, who is 10 years older than Clinton, could compete with the youthful Obama among younger voters is certainly good news for Republicans. While many thought McCain’s age might hinder his chances at capturing the presidency (if elected he would become the oldest U.S. president upon ascension to the presidency), some younger voters actually draw solace from it.

Sam Leffell, 18, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., contends that one of the main reasons he plans on voting for McCain in the fall is due to his age-old wisdom and experience with government affairs.

“I would much rather have a guy in office who knows the system and has been working in it for 26 years than someone who has barely served a full term in the Senate,” Leffell said. “It might be cool to vote for Obama because it seems everyone my age is doing it, but to me a vote for McCain just makes sense.”

The results of an April CBS News/UWIRE poll showed that Pennsylvania College students overwhelmingly support Obama in the Democratic and national races but view McCain as the “best candidate with the right experience” to be president.

Leffell said he partly supports the Arizona senator for his keen understanding of foreign affairs. Many other young McCain supporters also cite his noteworthy military service as reason enough to vote for him, especially his five and a half years as a POW during the Vietnam War.

Still, other young voters, like Dallas Wright, 18, find that they can simply relate to Obama better.

“I’ve never felt as confident in a politician’s genuineness as I have with Barack,” said Wright. “Though Barack is old enough to have fathered a lot of the student and young adult voters who support him, his followers are so passionate because he comes off as being so much younger.”

In addition to his vivacious persona, Wright said he admires Obama’s dedication to the black community. Hailing from South Chicago, where Obama has been politically active since his lost Congressional bid, Wright says he has seen the candidate’s commitment to issues plaguing the area’s black community.

As a black young adult, “that’s a huge draw for me,” Wright said. Nevertheless, familiarizing himself with Obama’s policies during January’s Iowa Caucus was what really sealed the deal.

“I think he just has it right,” he said.

Regardless of which candidate ultimately wins the election, one thing is for certain: they will need the support of their younger voter base.