Sophomore's Internship Puts Him in the Thick of the John Kerry Presidential Campaign

February 17, 2004

February 17, 2004, Greencastle, Ind. - Wisconsin is holding its presidential primary today, and DePauw University sophomore Chris Bannister is right in the middle of the action. Bannister, who spent his Winter Term interning on the campaign staff of Democrat John Kerry and is extending the internship through this semester, is in Madison, Wisconsin, where he's serving as Kerry's state director of voter contact.

A story in today's edition of The DePauw notes that Bannister joined the campaign in December, when Kerry was an also-ran in the polls. The student aided the campaign in Iowa, New Mexico and now Wisconsin, and has seen his candidate become the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. "This is the final showdown," Bannister told the student newspaper from his desk at Kerry's Wisconsin headquarters. "It's the state Howard Dean promises he will win. He has over 100 staff and more offices than we do. We're working with about half the resources, but we have the momentum on our side."

Bannister, a political science major at DePauw with an eye on law school, has been able to spend time talking with Senator Kerry, and says, "He's definitely not the staunch politician people make him out to be. He's a very casual, easy-going guy in person, very good with people, very Clinton-esque, and a very good speaker. He can really connect with the younger generation."

Lisa Garcia, who works for the Kerry campaign, says Chris Bannister has "brought a lot to the team wherever he goes. Not just the obvious professionalism that you need, but also being able and feeling confident to speak up and exude leadership qualities."

R. Brandon Sokol's article also includes the thoughts of Scott Bannister, Chris' father, who says, "This has to be an amazing experience, and I think with that experience he will be able to come back to DePauw in the fall and have a lot of great things to share with fellow students. He's going to make a lot of contacts and learn a great deal."

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