Young Campaign Staffers Flock to Iowa

December 26, 2003, 2:21 AM EST


DES MOINES, Iowa -- Clare Gannon works in a tiny, dark room crammed with desks and cluttered with maps, televisions and signs reading "Howard Dean for President."

Dressed in sweat shirt and blue jeans with pink highlights in her hair, she takes phone calls every few minutes from reporters who want to talk about Dean's chances of winning the Iowa caucuses Jan. 19. The 23-year-old said she hopes a stint in the press office here will help launch a public relations career.

"There's a general respect for people who have worked the Iowa caucuses," Gannon said. "Politically, people know it's hard work here. I'm really young, and the fact that I've had so much hands-on training, that's really, really great."

Twentysomething campaign staffers eager for a taste of grass-roots politics have flocked to Iowa, the place Gannon calls "the center of the political universe." In exchange for long hours, little pay and an occasional bout of homesickness, they are handed significant responsibilities. They become adept at handling the media, make contacts that could last decades and learn how to be politically competitive at the highest level.

more............................

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-iowa-caucus-young-staff,0,7602688.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

bleedn' heart good to hear 20something youngsters are getting involved. :)