Red and blue campaign slogans have decorated campus lately as the JHU Students for John McCain and the JHU Students for Barack Obama attempt to promote their causes and gain supporters.
Despite the fact that Hopkins has traditionally been a politically moderate campus, the JHU Students for Obama group has recruited 243 members, while the JHU Students for McCain group has recruited only 46 members.
Both groups have been active in meeting each week to discuss ways to promote their respective candidates, both on campus and in the Baltimore community.
According to Brendan Ullman, sophomore and chapter coordinator of JHU Students for Obama, the Democrats' success has been in large part due to their grassroots activity on and off campus.
"We've been doing phone banking, flash advertisements and voter registration booths each week," Ullman said.
Both groups are registered as part of the national network of college students involved in the presidential campaigns, thus giving them the authority to host events in the candidates' names.
Ullman explained that at least a dozen students typically show up to volunteer at the JHU Students for McCain phone banking events. At these sessions, volunteers call citizens in the surrounding states to talk about the candidates.
Ullman said that this is especially important, as many citizens can be on the fence or apathetic unless they receive a direct phone call from someone who is passionate about the campaign.
According to junior Jeremy Garson, JHU Students for Obama Events Coordinator, door-to-door campaigning has been of crucial importance to the group.
Members of the group have been taking trips into battleground states such as Virginia and Pennsylvania in an attempt to try to reach out to voters in person.
"Canvassing - or campaigning door to door - is a big part of our grassroots activity," Garson said.
Both Ullman and Garson are outspoken about why they support Obama.
For Ullman, it is Obama's adherence to a clean campaign that has won him over.
"I used to work for the Obama field office in Nevada and was surprised that Obama's going to run this thing cleanly," Ullman said.
Garson said he became enamored with Obama after learning about the candidate's fresh approach to politics.
"Obama brings everyone to the table and is willing to compromise to get things done," Garson said.
In the meantime, the 46 members of JHU Students for McCain have been focusing their efforts primarily on off-campus activity.
"Many fellow students and I are doing volunteer work in cities other than Baltimore right now, so we've been very busy," said Evan Lazerowitz, the head of Maryland Students for McCain and the College Republicans Club, both wings of the JHU Students for McCain organization.
Christopher Connelly, the coordinator of JHU Students for McCain and vice-president of the College Republicans, has a similar schedule.
"Recently, I've been to Virginia to help John McCain's campaign," Connelly said.
Once their volunteer schedules are over, Connelly and Lazerowitz plan to set up an aggressive recruiting campaign to attract more members for JHU Students for McCain on campus. They are confident in their potential success.
"We can definitely get 230 more members for JHU Students for McCain," Lazerowitz said. "We can definitely match JHU Students for Obama."
Connelly said he was confident about the group's ability to schedule upcoming political events at Hopkins.
According to Connelly, there have been talks for a debate between the College Republicans and the College Democrats, a wing of the JHU Students for Obama.
When the election becomes more imminent, Lazerowitz hopes to bring his new members for the Republicans' "72-hour deployment" period.
"72-hour deployment takes place 72 hours before November fourth, the election day," Lazerowitz said.
"We will go to different cities in battleground states for last-minute campaigning."
Ultimately, the leaders of McCain student camp expect that their recent efforts and activities will help to spread McCain's political messages and get him elected.
"It's about getting the vote, contributing to a cause greater than yourself," Lazerowitz said.
No doubt Lazerowitz and Connelly are excited about McCain to the same extent as those on the other side are excited about Obama.
Connelly said he is especially interested in McCain's economic plan.
"I like McCain because he is a fiscal conservative. He will decrease taxes, balance the budget and stimulate the economy," Connelly said.
Lazerowitz said he was attracted to McCain's political image.
"McCain is a maverick," Lazerowitz said. "There are no ulterior, shady motives influencing him."
Despite differences between the two camps, both JHU Students for McCain and JHU Students for Obama can agree on one thing: the importance of having more college students involved in America's political scene.
"As college students, we should participate in politics because we are the future leaders of this country," Garson said. "If not now, when?"
