Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., encouraged Democrats to get out the vote at a rally in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union Monday afternoon.

Harkin, an 18-year veteran of the U.S. Senate and an ISU alumnus, said he was pleased to be back on campus.

“I can feel it. I can smell it. I can taste it,” Harkin said to a crowd of nearly 200.

“Eight days from now, we are going to have the biggest Democratic victory in Iowa since 1964.”

John Norris, Iowa’s Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, was optimistic as well.

“We’ve got eight days left to finish the job we started out to do. Are you guys ready to finish that job?”

Daschle spoke about the importance of each vote. He encouraged everyone to not only vote themselves, but to help those who have difficulty get to the polls on Election Day.

“Voting is more than an opportunity — it is a responsibility,” Daschle said. “I was elected by 14 votes the first time. That’s what it means to turn out that vote.”

The candidates highlighted differences between the Democratic and Republican parties as well.

Harkin said he and Norris are in favor of eliminating student debt, while their opponents are in favor of eliminating the Department of Education. Harkin advocated increasing the federal education budget eight times higher than proposed by the Bush administration, Daschle said.

“[Harkin is] always the first on the floor to fight for education,” he said.

Candidates also addressed platform differences regarding the environment.

The Republicans’ idea of environmental policy is drilling for oil, Norris said.

“We need an administration that realizes renewable energy is our nation’s future,” he said. “[Renewable energy] is our one hope.”

Harkin said he was supported by both the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club. He said the United States needs “clean renewable energy systems that get us off the oil pipeline.”

As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Harkin was able to put more money into conservation in the farm bill than ever before, he said.

Harkin also discussed prescription drug care for the elderly and health care for children.

“Every child in America, while they’re in school, should have full health care coverage until the age of 18,” he said.

Norris said Republicans view health care as “a privilege, not a right.” He said everyone should have the right to health care.

Harkin and Daschle also spoke about the recent death of Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. Wellstone would want people to look to the future and push for everyone to vote, Harkin said.

“The loss of Paul Wellstone was a great personal loss,” he said. “He was my closest friend in the United States Senate.”

Andy Ruff, senior in management information systems, said he was glad Harkin and Daschle chose to come to Ames before the election.

“[I was] happy to see Harkin come back to his alma mater and talk to students,” he said.

WEB FEATURE

See highlights of the rally in digital video