Teens decisive on favorite presidential candidates

Tarah Kemp is a student at Middle College.

With a little more than seven months remaining before the 2008 presidential election, we asked Chattanooga-area teenagers where they stand on the candidates.

* Samantha Sielski, 18, of Notre Dame High School, said she likes U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

“I will probably vote for Hillary Clinton because I believe in change in America, and (Sen.) Clinton has been in the White House before, so she has had experience with an array of issues,” Samantha said.

* Clara Luthas, 17, of Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts, is not sold.

“I will not vote for (Sen.) Clinton, due to the fact that she will not understand the war as a whole like a man would — the tactics, the policies. She basically doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” she said. “She’s been in the White House before; one time is more than enough.”

* Elizabeth Edwards, 17, of Center for Creative Arts, supports U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, also a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination.

“I support (Sen.) Obama for president because I believe in his slogan, ‘Change in America’. His health-care plan is flexible. He has stuck to his beliefs. He hasn’t become part of the Washington machine. He’s not a robot but a real person that believes in a genuine cause.”

* Ashley King, 18, of Middle College High School, said she would not vote for Sen. Obama.

“I will not vote for (Sen.) Obama because I feel he is not experienced enough for the political system, especially in the White House,” she said. “Personally, I don’t like his support/opinions on certain policies.”

* Leah Oldham, 17, of Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, supports Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain.

“I would vote for (Sen.) McCain because he stands up for what he believes in, even when he gets criticized,” Leah said. “He is willing to reach across party lines to get things done. I think I could trust him to do exactly what he says he will do in office.”

Elizabeth, of CCA, said she doesn’t believe Sen. McCain is the right person for the job.

“After (Sen.) McCain responded to a questioner’s statement of how President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years, by saying, “Make it a hundred,” he lost my respect, by far,” she said. “If (Sen.) McCain gets into the White House, there might just be that chance where our troops will be in Iraq for 100 years, and we can’t let that happen.”