THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE GO

Winthrop University became a hotbed of political activity this academic year. The first presidential candidate visited campus in August, and into the fall and winter months many others — Republicans and Democrats — followed. By the South Carolina primaries in February, the university had hosted 10 candidates —Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Rick Santorum also visited campus and stumped

for Marco Rubio. Residents of the Carolinas flocked to campus to hear from those who aspired to the highest office in the land.

As the 2016 presidential election unfolded, one campus popped up on most candidates’ radars: Winthrop.

The university received the distinction of becoming one of the most visited higher education institutions in the country in the early days of the presidential election that yielded an astonishing 17 Republican candidates and four Democratic candidates.

Hillary Clinton, from left, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley took part in MSNBC and the S.C. Democratic Party’s First in the South Democratic Presidential Can- didates Forum in Byrnes Auditorium on Nov. 6.

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