Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s alma mater is not the only thing he has in common with some Duke students.
While he may be lagging in the national polls for the Republican nomination, Paul, Duke Medical School ’61, has secured a noticeable following among young people who are drawn to his libertarian ideology. He surged ahead in votes among young people in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, as nearly half of voters under age 30 chose Paul. Additionally, the most recent weekly Gallup poll of Republican voters ages 18 to 34 reported that 31 percent—the most of all GOP candidates—support Paul. While not represented by an official campus political group, several Duke students have voiced their support of Paul.
“I haven’t quite figured it out,” Paul said in an interview with The Chronicle. “I think young people are more principled. They like the Constitution. They look at my voting record, and even if I vote by myself, they like me.”
Paul’s philosophy, which supports individual liberties, small government and limited military activity overseas, is appealing to college students who may not identify with an established political group, said freshman Ryan Gaylord, who is an active political supporter and donor to Paul’s campaign.
“There is significant support for Dr. Paul here at Duke,” Gaylord said. “The problem, I think, is that… libertarians here don’t have as strong of a distinct campus-wide presence as do the [Duke] College Republicans or Duke Democrats.”
Similarly, sophomore Michael Elgart noted that Paul seems to recognize the issues that concern young people.
“Paul [taps] into young people’s frustration with the current political system, which will ultimately leave them with problems of debt and a decaying entitlement system,” Elgart said. “His libertarian-leaning ideas provide an excellent alternative to many conservative positions, as it dissociates the popular economic ideas of free markets and property rights from religiously influenced, socially conservative positions, such as opposition to gay marriage—which many young Republicans find to be outdated artifacts of a previous generation of conservatives.”
Paul noted that his policy stance against war tends to resonate with college students.
“[Young people] are much more interested in changing our foreign policy, and they think these wars we are fighting are contributing to our bankruptcy,” Paul said.
According to a 2011 Chronicle survey, 26 percent of Duke students identify as Republicans, compared to 56 percent who consider themselves to be Democrats. Elgart said, however, that he believes Paul is the most popular Republican on campus.
“My generation does not want... to settle for less—to settle for liars,” said junior Lewis Purcell, another Paul supporter. “They want statesmen with a clear vision for our country, not sound bites and politically expedient positions.”
Although the North Carolina primary takes place in May, some students are already trying to drum up support on campus, such as by distributing flyers, Purcell noted. Still, Elgart, Purcell and Gaylord all said they do not believe that Paul will win the Republican nomination, as he consistently falls behind the other candidates in national polls.
While Paul may have drawn the attention of younger voters, junior William Reach, former chair of Duke College Republicans, noted that the majority of Republicans do not relate with Paul.
“In the U.S., where the president typically becomes the face of his party, the Republican establishment has had trouble reconciling some of Paul’s asymmetric positions with the party platform,” Reach wrote in an email Monday.
Yeshwanth Kandimalla contributed reporting.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.