After the rain retreated Tuesday at noon, the Democrats came out in full force for a campaign rally at the Campanile.

More than 50 people showed up for the event, which featured many prominent Democrats, including gubernatorial candidate Tom Vilsack and his running mate Sally Pederson, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and Secretary of State candidate Chet Culver.

While at the podium, Vilsack stressed the need to show children that Iowa treasures them highly and wants to keep them in the state.

“The state currently faces a lack of skilled workers,” he said. “If we are to increase the number of skilled workers, then we have to increase the number of people who choose to live in Iowa.”

He said lower class sizes, school renovations and better college loan programs can accomplish this goal.

Harkin also discussed education, characterizing the views of Jim Ross Lightfoot, Vilsack’s Republican opponent, as outdated.

He held up a writing tablet and pencil and said, “This is Mr. Lightfoot’s view of our future for our school kids.”

Harkin then showed the audience a laptop computer. “This is Tom Vilsack’s view,” he said.

“[Lightfoot’s] head is still back 50 years ago when he was in grade school, and that just won’t get our kids the right start for the 21st century,” Harkin said.

“Mr. Lightfoot is wrong when he thinks that you get smart and then learn to use a computer,” he said, referring to Lightfoot’s statement this summer that computers are “worthless” without basic education.

“Technology and computers today are the basics. [Lightfoot] still thinks the basics are going to the blackboard and writing ‘See Jane run,'” Harkin said.

“You use a computer to get smart,” he said. “Tom Vilsack understands that … The technology we have actually helps kids learn faster and better.”

Culver stopped at the rally as part of his statewide voting advocacy tour.

“I just encouraged the students there to get out and vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3,” he said. “I’m a teacher and a coach at Hoover High School, and education is a priority for me.”

“I want to do all I can to get young people involved with the election process,” Culver said.

Culver — and Democrats in general — have been boosted by recent polls that show Vilsack narrowing the gap on Lightfoot.

In fact, a survey taken October 25-26 by Talmey-Drake Research and Strategy had the two candidates in a dead heat, at 44 percent.

“We sense a lot of momentum here, just in the last week or 10 days,” Culver said.

Vilsack agreed.

“It’s made a difference in terms of the enthusiasm that people have,” he said. “I’ve always had faith in the message of the campaign and the people of Iowa that when they focused on the race, they would see who was the better candidate.”

Those who attended Tuesday’s rally saw a Democratic Party united behind Vilsack.

“We were very pleased by the number of people that were there and the enthusiasm of the crowd,” Vilsack said in an interview after his speech. “I was educated by a number of the students about new developments in their areas of expertise.”

Government of the Student Body President Bryan Burkhardt, a member of ISU Democrats, was one of about 30 students at the rally.

“I was pleased to see so many candidates on campus at one time,” Burkhardt said.

“It was a wonderful experience for students who are concerned about Iowa’s future,” he said.

Also in attendance were state Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames, state Rep. Cecelia Burnett, D-Ames, Iowa House candidate Dennis Parmenter and Story County Attorney candidate Stephen Holmes.