Jesse Heath, 20, a student at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, said he is backing Obama because "he's not been corrupted by lobbyists."
"I think the corporate hold on Washington is the root of most of our problems today, from global warming to the war in Iraq," Heath said.
The quest for young voters comes as the 2008 election increasingly centers on the issue of change. On the Democratic side, a youthful-looking John Edwards insists he has the convictions to bring change to Washington.
Among Republicans, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is arguing that he is the best candidate to instill change, given his record as a corporate turn-around artist and savior of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Romney came in second in Iowa, where 11 percent of Republican caucus-goers were younger than 30, and nearly three in four were age 45 and older.
Republicans and Democrats face a tough job trying to sway today's young people, who may be the most sophisticated consumers ever.
"We are a generation that has been marketed to more than any generation," said Chynoweth, the former Young Democrats head.
Young people can be swayed by a "coolness factor," acknowledged Chynoweth, who said he resigned from the Democratic group to endorse Clinton. "I think competence is cool," he said.
Clinton has been making the same point here, and tomorrow's vote will reveal which of the competing campaign messages is most persuasive among young voters.
David.nitkin@baltsun.com
