Republican Jewish Coalition and Susan G. Komen raise money for Hurricane Gustav relief

Nearly 300 Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) members joined together in downtown Minneapolis to raise around $30,000 to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Hurricane Gustav relief.

Hadassah Lieberman headlined the program, speaking to the members-only crowd. CEO and President Hala Moddelmog of Susan G. Komen for the Cure also addressed the group. Press secretary Suzanne Kurtz said the RJC considers national security, a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and energy top priorities.

The Jewish people traditionally support the Democratic Party, but the RJC believes the trend is changing. "John McCain will continue the inroads that the Republican Party is making in the Jewish community," Kurtz said.

Young Republicans meet with Sarah Huckabee

The Young Republican National Federation held a luncheon at the Hard Rock Café in Minneapolis to highlight the youth vote. Keynote speaker Sarah Huckabee surprised the crowd with a visit from former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R - AR) as well as Sen. George V. Voinovich (R - OH). Both Huckabee and Voinovich voiced their support for Sen. John McCain (R - AZ). Huckabee said McCain is a "strong leader of substance – not symbolism."

Besides applauding McCain, the speakers focused on the growing importance of the youth vote. By 2016 one-third of the electorate will be young voters, chairwoman of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) student chapters Lauren Kim said.

Speaking to the Young Republicans in the crowd, Voinovich said, "We have a wonderful opportunity to be successful in this campaign and John McCain may be the only person who could win in this campaign because of who he is."

Students protest peacefully in Saint Paul

Today at Mears Park in Saint Paul the Swift Students For Truthiness gathered to advocate their standpoint on contemporary politics.

The peaceful, non-partisan organization, mainly comprised of students from Wisconsin and the Will Mitchell University in Michigan, stood promoting their progressive views on education, taxation, war and other similar issues.

Thomas Fraint, one of the organizers, said "I think one of the biggest reasons I'm out here is because we have been hurting for the past eight years and I don't think [McCain] really realizes it."

He detailed one of the group's liberal views when he spoke of universal health care: "from a moral standpoint, every American deserves health care; but from an economic standpoint we spend more money than any other country, yet we are ranked right above Cuba, so maybe it's about time we should steal someone else's good idea."

When asked why the group is non-partisan as opposed to Democrat (since the Swift Students For Truthiness clearly share the Democratic point of view), he replied: "if I was out here with an Obama sign wearing blue, people's minds would then close."

Monday Morning Conference Call with Rick Davis, McCain Campaign Manager

Senator John McCain (R - AZ) campaign manager Rick Davis held a conference call Monday morning to discuss the schedule for the week and fundraising. An information center has been established in the Xcel Energy Center for delegates and participants to monitor the weather in the southern states.

Campaign manager Rick Davis said Laura Bush will introduce a video and Cindy McCain will address the delegates following todays official events. The speech will be mostly non-political and will ask for hurricane relief.

The McCain campaign, in conjunction with Target and FedEx, is also creating 80,000 "comfort packages" that will go to the regions impacted by Hurricane Gustav. The packages will be assembled at the convention site beginning Wednesday morning. Volunteers interested in helping to pack the contents of the packages will be accepted then.

McCain's campaign has begun a fundraising effort together with five governors from the affected region. They will identify charitabble organizations able to assist those impacted by the hurricane. In addition to working with those at the convention to raise money, the campaign has also set up a phone bank at the Minneapolis Hilton manned by a team of volunteers. These efforts will concentrate on reaching out to McCain's previous donors.