Presidential hopefuls seeking election this November will probably be endorsed by either the Republican or Democratic Party today on what is famously known as Super Tuesday.
Daily Cougar staff conducted an unscientific poll of 100 randomly chosen UH students to find out which candidates they thought would win the nomination of either party and predict who would become the next president.
Thirty-six percent of students said New York Sen. Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination, and 64 percent said Illinois Sen. Barack Obama would defeat Clinton in the primaries.
"Obama will win," political science sophomore Eileen Guthrie said. "He is very charismatic and a good leader to bring the people together."
Other students said Clinton would win because of her stances on health care and her political savvy.
"I like her views on the health care system," creative writing junior Sasha Schwendenwein said. "She has a lot of experience from being first lady and a senator for so many years."
Clinton, who agrees with Obama on the need to make health care available to all Americans, looks to make the issue her first priority as president, The Washington Post reported.
Although Obama views health care as one of the most important issues, he sees ending the war in Iraq as the most pressing one, according to The Washington Post.
On the Republican side, 75 percent of polled UH students said that Arizona Sen. John McCain will be the Republican nominee. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney received 13 percent, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee 10 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul received two percent of UH student votes.
"I definitely think John McCain is the most qualified politically for the presidency," history junior Brian Campbell said.
McCain, who continues to support the war in Iraq, has said that withdrawing from the war would be dangerous to America, according to The Washington Post.
"I believe we need a candidate who can win the war against terrorism, and McCain is ready to defend our nation," education junior Isabel Rodriguez said. "I think he has the experience to defeat our enemy."
Although McCain came out as the forerunner for the Republican nomination in the poll, 40 percent of the students polled think Obama will become the next president. McCain received 28 percent of votes for president.
"I think the Republicans kind of messed things up the last couple of times," anthropology senior Cindy Mills said.
Students agreed that the Republican candidate, whoever it will be, has a challenge to help Americans overcome their attitudes toward the current administration.
"Politics is like a pendulum," logistics senior Leon Cottom said. "It’s time for it to swing the other way."
The Republican Party also faces the challenge of winning the undecided middle vote.
"With the Democratic primaries having record numbers of people and the Republican primaries seriously lacking, I think it’s clear that a Democrat will win this election," political science junior Michael Chau said.
Other students are looking forward to a Democratic candidate bringing a unique perspective to the White House.
"I’m just looking to see who will surprise us in the Democratic race," accounting senior Anna Olaiveira said. "It’s going to be either the woman or the black candidate."
Obama’s techniques, such as announcing his plan to form an exploratory committee via Web cast in 2007, are focused on bringing forward a new generation of voters, according to The Washington Post.
"I think Obama will win because he has a hold over the younger people," sociology freshman Erica Fletcher said. "He has a stronger lead on independent voters."
Although Obama was the favorite in the UH poll, students wondered if he can have the same kind of success nationally.
"If we can get the students out to vote, I think Obama can win," communication graduate student Tanisha Everett said. "We are a generation waiting for change."
Additional reporting by The Daily Cougar News staff
