David Kochel knows full well the benefits a campus presence has for candidates. Kochel, who earned a political science degree from ISU in 1992, is the Iowa campaign manager for Alexander. In 1988, he was the campus campaign manager for Bob Dole, who garnered 800 student votes in Ames precincts during the Iowa caucuses. Campuses have a tremendous opportunity for impact. Universities are a great place because they can bring a lot of energy into a campaign.
Young people provide energy that a campaign needs, especially for volunteer work.
Iowa State holds special qualities for candidates, he added. It is uniquely attuned to rural and small community messages. Its proximity to Des Moines also is important because candidates look to garner attention from the media, and ISU is well situated for that. While candidates may exploit the perks of a campus, a campus can exploit the presence of candidates, too. For example, Schmidt has offered extra credit to students who attend a candidate's campus events.