Wisconsin's presidential primary is not until Feb. 17, but student-run campaigns have already started at UW-Madison.
The democratic student-run campaigns are just getting organized, and they said ending the Bush Administration is their main goal.
\There is a lot of energy on campus for an alternative to George Bush,"" said UW-Madison student Ryan Grady, Chairman of the UW-Madison College Democrats.
A recent CNN Time poll has U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in the lead. However, former governor of Vermont Howard Dean is polling on top in California, Iowa and New Hampshire. New Hampshire and Iowa have two of the earliest primaries, making them important targets for candidates.
Dean and Kerry both have campaigns started on campus, as does former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Gen. Wesley Clark, who is considering a run for president. Clark is expected to announce his decision at a speech at the University of Iowa Sept. 17.
""He's the guy to beat Bush,"" said UW-Madison junior Amy Schultz of Clark's Madison campaign, Draft Clark.
Dean has generated a lot of excitement, his supporters say. His environment-friendly stance appeals to many, along with his continued opposition to the war in Iraq. While some see him as being too liberal, others see him as upholding Democratic ideals.
UW-Madison junior Shira Roza, the Madison student chairman of Students for Dean, said, ""Dean simply wants the Democratic Party to stand for its platform.""
Much of the Dean campaign's momentum has been credited to the Web site http://www.meetup.com, a free service where like-minded users can organize a ""meetup"" on virtually any subject. Campaigners have begun to use the Web site as a way to come into contact with others who support their candidate.
Nationally, Howard Dean has the most supporters on Meetup, followed by Clark and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, according to Schultz. Supporters of Dean, Kerry and Dennis Kucinich all have meetups scheduled for the next month in Madison.
This year Wisconsin primaries have been moved from their traditional April date to Feb. 17 in an effort to gain more attention from candidates.
It is expected that the earlier date will bring the national spotlight to Wisconsin, a state that Bush won by a mere 6,000 votes in 2000.
-Wisconsin State Journal contributed to this report
