Young conservatives gather to reflect, politick

MEDFORD - They came dressed in shirts and ties or power suits and mingled over pizza while standing between tables covered in handmade signs advocating prolife policies, abstinence education, and assorted Republican candidates for office.

About 100 students from area public and private colleges and universities attended the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans fall conference yesterday at Tufts University.

In a state where only about 13 percent of voters registered as Republicans in the last election, many of the students said remaining confident in their conservative beliefs in Massachusetts is not easy. Some students said they often question themselves after being barraged by doubting peers.

"I think about it every single day. I ask, 'What am I wasting my time on?' " said Paul Adams, a Suffolk University graduate who works for the Coalition for Marriage and Family, which promotes traditional values. "But you keep optimistic because you know you're right, so you keep pushing away."

The Alliance of College Republicans consists of students from more than 40 colleges and universities throughout the state; about a dozen were represented yesterday. The group holds annual conventions in the spring but meets only occasionally in the fall.

Those at the convention said they formed their conservative views at a young age and have endured criticism ever since.

"There's some fun teasing, but most people on campus respect you if you have an opinion you can back up," said Alison Hoover, a Minnesota native and a senior political science major at Tufts.

Despite recent election losses by the state's Republican Party, a buzz of optimism flowed through the hallway of Tufts' Barnum Hall. Many of the young Republicans talked about campaign events before next week's Fifth Congressional District election between Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski, Democrat Niki Tsongas, and three other candidates.

"He's not your run-of-the-mill Republican candidate. He really singles himself out from all the others," said an enthusiastic Adams.

The convention kicked off with the Pledge of Allegiance inside a lecture hall sparsely decorated with a handful of balloons, a half-dozen red, white, and blue stars, and some bunting. Students listened to current and former state leaders who told them to stay strong in this state's sea of blue voters.

"A lot of you may feel outnumbered on your campus, but I can assure you there are a lot more people that think like you than you know about it," said Peter Torkildsen, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Former lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kerry Healey also addressed the students, encouraging them to get involved in Mitt Romney's campaign for president.

"One of the things that I think is most important for young people in terms of politics is if you go into a campaign, your own ambition and your own willingness to work hard is the limit of what you can do," she said.