College Democrats convention to be held in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS -- The College Democrats National Convention will begin here starting today, with students from around the country and top party leaders hoping to organize and energize young voters before November's midterm elections.

About 400 students are expected to attend the meeting and hear speeches from the likes of party Chairman Howard Dean; House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

The convention's goal is simple, said Stephany Copeland, vice president of the College Democrats of Missouri: "We want to set up an infrastructure as college students to make sure that Democrats get elected."

Although Democrats have been out of power in Washington D.C. since 2000, Copeland said they are optimistic this year.

"We feel that we have a great opportunity today, considering the just atrocious way the government has been handled in the past six years -- we can see it in the polls and it's going to be very good for us in November," she said.

Missouri GOP spokesman John Hancock said he's not fretting over the hotbed of Democratic student activism in Missouri. College-age voters in the state have increasingly supported Republicans, he said, and that trend isn't likely to dwindle.

"A generation ago, if the young voter turnout was higher than expected it was bad news; today it's good news for Republicans," he said.

Political stakes are high Missouri, with national observers closely watching November's competitive U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Sen. Jim Talent and Democratic State Auditor Claire McCaskill.

Copeland said the Senate race was one reason national organizers chose Missouri to host the convention. Moving the meeting to the Midwest from coastal locations also fits with Dean's "50 state" plan that aims to boost Democratic membership in so-called red states that voted for Bush in 2004.

Hosting the convention will give Missouri College Democrats an outsized voice in the organization this year, Copeland said. Because the state will have the highest turnout of attendees, Missourians will have more votes to help the group choose leaders and policy positions.

The convention is scheduled to kick off Thursday morning at Saint Louis University. The agenda includes housekeeping items such as electing national leadership, along with workshops that have titles such as "Fundraising 101" and "Event Planning from A-Z."

Dean will speak Thursday evening, with Clark following Friday afternoon and Pelosi speaking Saturday.

The College Republican National Committee won't have a convention this summer because it meets every other year and is scheduled to convene next June, said spokeswoman Ashley Rogers.

That doesn't mean college Republicans are kicking back this summer. Rogers said the group is stepping up an internship program that sends students from campus to campus for a semester to set up Republican groups. Ten students participated in a spring session and more than 55 are expected to participate this fall, Rogers said.