Precinct 4-4

Numbers were close among Democratic presidential candidates in the Ames precinct containing residents of the Richardson Court Association, but Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. was able to gain a plurality of support from caucus-goers Monday at the Maple-Willow-Larch Commons with 40 of 109 voters.

The organizers for the precinct said they did not expect the large attendance figure.

“I was just really excited about how many people showed up,” said Shanna Harms, caucus chairwoman and sophomore in political science.

Only Kerry and two other candidates — Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean — finished as viable candidates. Edwards was second with 37 supporters, followed by Dean with 32. Of five available delegates, Kerry and Edwards each received two, with Dean getting one nomination.

According to caucus rules, a candidate’s supporters must have at least 15 percent of the people in attendance in order to qualify as viable. At Maple-Willow-Larch, this meant a candidate needed 17 supporters to be eligible for delegates.

Preference groups that didn’t have enough supporters had to pick a different candidate to support.

— Susan Mackey

Precinct 3-5

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was declared the winner of precinct 3-5, St. John’s by the Campus Episcopal Church, 2338 Lincoln Way.

Three hundred and twenty-four people voiced their support for various presidential candidates. The turnout exceeded the expectation of organizers, who predicted a turnout of only 200.

After supporters divided into groups for the first time, only three candidates — Kerry, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C. — received the 15 percent necessary to remain viable. After 15 minutes of persuading others to join their groups, the final votes were tallied.

Kerry received 137 votes and will send six delegates to the Story County convention in March. Dean received 106 votes and will send four delegates. Edwards received 77 votes and will send three delegates to the county convention.

Joel Taylor, senior in political science and precinct captain for Dean, said the results were what he expected.

“The percentage for Kerry was about what we thought it would be,” he said.

— Josh Novak

Precinct 4-3

Supporters of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., won two of five delegate seats and created a pep rally-like atmosphere Friday at the Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 N. Sheldon Ave.

Extra chairs were brought out for 187 voters who caucused in precinct 4-3. The turnout was high, said Larry Larson, 3316 Woodland St., a caucus-goer for more than 40 years. “It’s a nice turnout of students,” Larson said. “It’s very gratifying.”

In the end, Kerry had 77 supporters, or two delegates. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, had 46 supporters and one delegate, and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., each had 32 supporters and one delegate. A handful of Sen. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., supporters defected to other groups, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark received no vocal support.

Hannah Schoenthal-Muse, senior in liberal studies and Kerry supporter, said she wasn’t surprised by the number of Kerry fans. “I think that Kerry ran such a positive campaign compared to Dean and Gephardt, we expected this to happen,” she said.

— Emily Sickelka

Precinct 4-5

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., won a plurality of supporters in the fifth precinct of Ames’ Fourth Ward Monday in a caucus meeting at the Union Drive Community Center, allowing him to send one delegate to the Story County Democratic Convention March 13.

The precinct, which represents the Union Drive Association, gathered 115 participants. Kerry drew 52 supporters, while Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean gathered 32 and 31, respectively. Those three candidates each won one delegate.

The caucus was closely contested among four candidates — the other being North Carolina Sen. John Edwards — for most of the night. After the first round of candidate selection, Dean supporters stood in third behind Kerry and Edwards among viable candidates. In the second round, groups openly organized to prevent Dean supporters from being among the top three and gaining a delegate. The plan backfired, as participants who joined in supporting Kucinich siphoned support for Edwards, ultimately making him the non-viable candidate.

Nick Redmond, sophomore in philosophy, led the push against Dean supporters.

“Dean is divisive,” he said. “People either really like him or really hate him. That’s why it happened this way tonight.”

— Jason Noble

Precinct 3-3

John Kerry was the overwhelming winner in Precinct 3-3, Wallace-Wilson Commons.

By the end of the night, 55 of the 119 people present were literally standing in Kerry’s corner.

Howard Dean came in second with 28 supporters, John Edwards third with 21, and Dennis Kucinich with 18, exactly the amount needed to qualify for representation.

George McJimsey, caucus chairman, was surprised by the turnout. Having overseen three previous caucuses, he says this one was the most exciting.

“The townspeople [at previous caucuses] were more sedate,” he said. “Students don’t mind hanging it out a little bit.”

Clare Kerofsky, sophomore in landscape architecture, said she felt it was important to be at the caucuses.

“I think the caucuses are a good way to get people involved in the political process,” she said.

— Marisa Myhre