UI students prove to be tough sell for senatorial candidate Hogg

IOWA CITY — On a bright, sunny spring day, U.S. Senate hopeful Rob Hogg stood at the intersection of Iowa Avenue and Clinton Street in downtown Iowa City trying to encourage University of Iowa students to vote for him in the June 7 primary election.

It wasn't as easy as it might seem at a busy campus intersection where hundreds of students pass on their way to and from classes.

Many, if not most of the students were wearing headphones that made it harder for the state senator from Cedar Rapids to engage them.

'Hi, I'm Rob Hogg and I'm running for the U.S. Senate,' he would say, offering them a brochure. Many continued without even acknowledging his presence. When they did, there was no guarantee he had won a vote in his race against three other Democrats hoping to be the party's challenger to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in November.

'I didn't even know there was an election,' Nohema Graber, a sophomore from Fairfield, said as she walked away with Hogg's brochure.

Will she vote?

'I don't know,' she said

Will she vote for Hogg?

'This guy? I never heard of him,' Graber admitted.

If it's any consolation to Hogg, she's no more familiar with the other candidates: former legislators Tom Fiegen of Clarence and Bob Krause of Fairfield, and former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge. Their campaigns did not respond to requests for comment on their strategies for capturing the student vote.

Her lack of familiarity with him and the race didn't surprise Hogg, but underscored why he was there.

Students have 'seen too much garbage' in the political process, Hogg said, but if he and other politicians can bring young voters into the process 'this generation of young Americans has so much potential.'

'Sure, I want them to vote, but that's just the start,' Hogg said. 'It is really important for every student to make a plan on how he or she will vote ... whether they are registered here on campus (or) whether they are registered at home. '

Hogg wasn't telling every student they have to vote early, but encouraged them to take a 'study break' and cast their ballot at one of the early voting sites, which included the Memorial Union Tuesday.

Christine Tygart, a freshman from Cedar Rapids, stopped and talked to Hogg. She plans to cast a vote for him after classes are done and she's back in Cedar Rapids.

She's drawn to Hogg because of his support for renewable energy.

That and his overall 'environmental piece' appealed to Nadine Petty, the director of the UI Center for Diversity and Enrichment. 'I'm not familiar with him, but he sounds like a strong advocate' for protecting the environment 'and that's important to me,' Petty said.

Hogg has done a similar event at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, will be at Drake University in Des Moines at 3 p.m. May 4 and at May 13 at the Kirkwood Room, 515 Kirkwood Ave., Iowa City.

'Every vote is important whether you are an 18-year-old kid or a senior citizen,' Hogg said. 'It's important to get young people involved. I want them to be involved in political campaigns. I want them to be involved in public service in their communities.'