A big smile crossed the face of Alex O’Hanlon, a UNO senior, after being asked about the presidential election.
“I am very excited,” O’Hanlon said. “The whole atmosphere down here is pretty infectious.”
A buzz filled the air at the downtown Omaha Hilton where young democrats made a noticeable presence among those celebrating Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Jim Esch. Countless t-shirts supporting Obama and Esch were accompanied by cheers of “yes we can!”
O’Hanlon, 21, was not old enough to vote in the 2004 presidential election and relished the opportunity to vote in this election. “Being able to vote for this first time in this election is a cool opportunity and might affect my voting down the road,” O’Hanlon said.
For Aaron Rastovski, a 23-year-old pharmacy student at UNMC, Jim Esch’s campaign kept his attention. “I’ve heard Jim Esch speak. He is a good man,” Rastovski said. “It’s going to be close. I hope he can pull it out.”
Cheers erupted as a list of states being declared for Barack Obama scrolled across the screen. Cheers grew even louder as Nebraska was declared “too close to call.” The cheers quickly turned to boos as the TV screen flashed incumbent Republican Lee Terry leading Democrat Esch. Ben Harms, a recent UNO graduate, attended the party two years ago when Esch first ran against Terry. For Harms, the improvement in the crowd size was encouraging to see, he said. “Two years ago it wasn’t quite as big of a rally for Jim Esch,” Harms said.
“Hopefully it will be a great night for Barack, a great night for Jim and we’ll be able to take this country back,” he said.Rastovski seconded the feelings. “Hopefully, it will be a great night to be a democrat.” It won’t be known immediately how big an impact that young voters had on the election, but the enthusiasm at the Hilton was undeniable, Rastovski said.
