Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: News
Through the ups and downs, McCain's her man
Inna Lifshin
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In fact, he's the most patriotic person she's ever met, she said.
That's why Huntsman has dedicated much of the last year to promoting the Arizona Republican's presidential campaign, both on the road and on campus, through her work as chairwoman of Penn's College Republicans and co-chairwoman of Pennsylvania College Students for McCain.
Having grown up in a political family - her father is the current governor of Utah - Huntsman is no novice when it comes to campaigning. Her first exposure came in 2004, when she chose to attend the University of Utah for her freshman year so she could be closer to her father's gubernatorial campaign.
Her father first met McCain three years ago, when the two men traveled to Iraq together, she said. Since then, the McCain and Huntsman families have become friends.
"He's like a grandfather figure to me," she said. "He's very down to earth and just a regular guy."
She hopes that's the impression students got when McCain came to speak on campus last semester.
"He's the type of guy who's been in politics for so long that people have lots of stereotypes about him … [but] they saw that he's a really fun guy," she said.
The visit was one of the campaign's largest events to date, according to McCain's director of events, Davis White, who praised Huntsman for taking the lead in coordinating McCain's appearance.
"With limited resources from the campaign she confirmed the venue, built a crowd and developed an event program," he wrote in an e-mail.
But while the speech was a success, there have been some tougher times.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
penn08
posted 3/24/08 @ 12:01 PM EST
it is also interesting to note that the facility rental at the annenberg center for the performing arts, where mccain spoke, was paid for in person by ms. (Continued…)
McCain 2008
posted 3/24/08 @ 5:11 PM EST
I agree with pp - so what? I'm sure many others would do the same if they had the resources. I was a senior in full support of GWB during the 2000 election and it was not easy to be a Republican on this campus. (Continued…)
Customary post from typical Penn Student
posted 3/24/08 @ 7:24 PM EST
I think all political parties that are not my own are evil and every politician I wouldn't vote for is a war criminal and just parrot the views and values my parents gave me and have never thought deeply about politics aside from making hyperbolic statements about conservatives. (Continued…)
Summer07 McCain Supporter
posted 3/25/08 @ 11:31 PM EST
Nice article - good to see that there is SOME life at Penn for Republicans. As Ms. Huntsman says, McCain is much easier to talk about at Penn becuase he is a moderate. (Continued…)
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