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Supporting Republicans and curious bystanders alike flocked to Gasson Hall to see Meghan McCain at a meet-and-greet on Thursday. Though the crowd dwindled due to an hour-and-15-minute delay, when she finally arrived, the remaining students had the chance to meet and take photos with the daughter of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.
After visiting New Hampshire and other schools in the Boston area, Meghan McCain came to Boston College as part of the last push in the campaign in the final weeks before the election. McCain's visit to BC was informal; she gave only a brief speech before she began mingling with students and posing for photos.
Though McCain answered questions individually, she did not publically address her father's platform or his campaign in her speech; instead she reassured the crowd that the fight for the presidency was not yet decided.
"These final 19 days are going to be a big push. My advice is not to listen to the polls - the polls aren't always right. If they were, Mitt Romney would be running right now," McCain said.
McCain, who has been on the campaign trail for two years now, said she started to get involved when her brother was deployed to Iraq. Since then, the 23-year-old Columbia graduate has made appearances across the country in support of her father and keeps a blog chronicling her experience on the campaign.
"It's been the most liberating experience of my life. I love it. I've been on the campaign trail now for two years - I don't know what I'll do when it's over," McCain said.
While she said she does not have any political aspirations of her own and hopes to one day work in fashion, McCain said her time on the campaign trail has affected how she views American politics.
"It opened my eyes a lot. I don't think I realized how emotional people get when it comes to politics," McCain said. "I've been to almost all of the 50 states and it's really shown me real people with real problems."
McCain was introduced by ÂMassachusetts representative Paul Loscocco, who graduated as a Double Eagle from BC in '84 and '87. Loscocco said that students should take the opportunity to get involved, in this campaign and in politics in general.
"Trust me when I tell you - you get a little insulated in college - but the government is run by people only a few years older than you," Loscocco said.
Michael Reer, president of the College Republicans and A&S '10, said that this was one of the reasons the College Republicans requested McCain as a speaker. By having a more relaxed event where students could talk to a representative who was accessible and relatable, Reer said he hoped to encourage students to participate more in a political dialogue.
"She wasn't speaking political jargon, she wasn't very stand-offish. She has a personality - I think people were very receptive to that," Reer said. "Hopefully they realized that they could be part of the political dialogue without getting involved in the nastier side that sometimes comes out."
The event attracted some 300 people from various political affiliations, including both Republicans and Democrats, though Reer estimates that this number had dropped to around 90 by McCain's delayed arrival. Some students, such as Avila Stahlman, A&S '12, said that they were interested in McCain's perspective as a young adult.
"I think it's really cool Meghan McCain is coming. She's someone close to our age and I think it's great to hear that point of view," Stahlman said. "It's nice to have someone you can relate to."
While some viewed the event as an opportunity to show support and find out how to get more involved, others, such as Connor Larsen, A&S '11, were simply interested in hearing what McCain had to say.
"I just feel like cross-party politics is important. I support Barack Obama but it's good to hear the other side," Larsen said. "I think sometimes people get so attached to their party that they forget that it's really the issues that matter."
McCain, who had been a registered Independent and voted for Sen. John Kerry in the last presidential election, has since registered as a Republican to show support for her father, and has previously told reporters that she supports her father's stance on the important issues.
McCain said that there wasn't just one issue she felt was important in this election for young adults, but said they included "the economy, the war, and the environment - at least, those are the most important issues to me."
McCain said she was impressed by how involved young people had been in the political process. "I'm really proud of my generation in this election," she said.
There are a number of ways students can become more involved in supporting Senator McCain if they wish, she said. "If [students] want to volunteer, they can call [the Republican headquarters in Boston] or talk to student groups. It can be as simple as registering people to vote or making phone calls, or watching the debate and having a party to talk about it after," McCain said.
Though the event was geared toward informing students and helping them get involved in the Republicans' campaign, Reer said that such events are neither restricted nor meant for Republicans alone.
"I just want to get people involved whether they are Democrats or Republicans," Reer said. "This is a dialogue, not a monologue. We need to listen to people and what they care about and then explain those issues within the platform. It's all about listening to students, listening to what the care about, and then responding accordingly."
With only two weeks left until Election Day, many voters have already decided which candidate they will choose. Both sides are campaigning hard in these final days, including the young McCain.
"I think this last push is important. Election Day will be crazy," McCain said. "I think he could win obviously without me, but I think any support helps and I love my dad so much."
When asked if her father was going to win, McCain said she wouldn't say a flat "yes."
"I'm very superstitious - I was convinced I wasn't going to get into any college," McCain said. "But, I hope so."
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