Republicans make up majority of Coliseum viewing party
It was a lightly attended affair Monday evening, as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney prepared to take the stage for the final presidential debate — at least for students and Democrats.
The College of Mass Communications and Information Studies and Patch.com hosted a debate viewing for the second time this election season, one that S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis and state Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian were expected to attend.
But only Loftis, who is also Romney’s state chairman, came, and the room was dominated by Republicans.
Nearly 70 percent of the 20 or so participants in a poll Patch.com conducted identified with the party, and the walls were dotted with posters supporting the Romney campaign.
“This is not the Romney campaign headquarters,” said Charles Bierbauer, the college’s dean, “but in politics, advantage goes to those who come early ... and are opportunistic.”
But as far as Loftis is concerned, the leaning wasn’t too much of a surprise for an event hosted in South Carolina.
“We are a Republican state,” Loftis said.
— Compiled by Thad Moore, News Editor