Obama, Guiliani lead pack in fundraising in the Hoosier state

Last week the Federal Election Commission announced the third quarter and overall funds raised by the 2008 presidential candidates. For\nIndiana, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Rudy Giuliani are fiscally in the lead.\nThus far, Obama (D-Ill.), a first-term U.S. senator, has raised $267,746 while former mayor of New York City Giuliani has raised $255,220 in Indiana. Overall Hoosiers have contributed more than $1.5 million to all of the candidates, with the Democrats having a slight edge in overall money raised.\nAlthough Indiana is traditionally a “red state,” both candidates are considered liberal within their respective parties. Freshman Ashley Freije, a Giuliani supporter, said she is surprised that Indiana residents have favored more liberal candidates.\n“I am surprised, maybe there is a shift in Indiana towards more left-leaning candidates. It is surprising that they would be supporting such a socially liberal candidate (Giuliani),” Freije said.\nBut junior Torrey Kittle, state coordinator of Students for Barack Obama, interpreted the fund-raising results differently.\n“I’m not surprised by Barack’s appeal in Indiana,” Kittle said. “He’s very bipartisan and can reach over to Republicans just as much as Democrats. I guess you can say he’s not really ‘blue’ or ‘red’ but truly purple.” \nBoth Freije and Kittle said their candidates’ stances on various issues resonated with Indiana voters, which helped with fundraising. \nGiuliani’s experiences in New York City in the wake of Sept. 11 make him a strong candidate, Freije said. She also cited his name recognition as well as his electability against the Democrats, specifically presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton as reasons for his success.\nKittle praised Obama’s foresight, in particular his speech against the Iraq War in 2002 before the war started. Moreover, he said Obama’s agricultural policy would benefit Hoosiers, and his message of hope and change appeals to voters. \nStudent organizations have already started to campaign for their respective candidates, including groups supporting Obama and Republican candidates Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.\nJunior Anna Strand, president of IU College Democrats, said many Democrats support Obama.\n“I know for a fact that Obama’s support on campus is strong, but also growing,” she said.\nSupport for Giuliani, however, has not been as visible on campus. No formal student groups have emerged to support his candidacy, unlike other candidates. \n“There doesn’t seem to be much support really for candidates other than Ron Paul and Barack Obama,” Freije said.