By Kate Miller and Philip Pirwitz

The appr. 5,000 people in attendance at the Burger Activities Center last night came from all walks of life to support Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Including a surprising number of men.

It’s no secret that much of Clinton’s support comes from women, and with rightful reason: a woman running for the White House, for the first time being a truly viable candidate, is cause for excitement and involvement within the female community in particular.

But it would be shortsighted to stop here. According to Edward Russell and Marques Harvey, two younger men in attendance at the rally, Clinton’s run at President is reason for excitement among the male population and the youth population as well.

We spoke with Russell before the rally, and Harvey after. Russell came clear from Miami, Florida, to volunteer and show his support for Clinton.

When asked why he came so far, Russell said with a grin, “Well as Barack would say, the fierce urgency of now.”

Russell supported Clinton for her foreign policy experience and platform, in her stance not to negotiate with those our government deems as dangerous, such as Iran. He displayed a high amount of knowledge on Clinton’s voting record, and what she was voting for/against, giving many examples of her consistencies while in the Senate.

Russell wasn’t a fan of how Obama handled the Florida delegate issue, saying “some in Florida really don’t like Barack for turning his back on us.” In this, Russell meant that Clinton had continued to make appearances and care about Florida’s representation in this election. “In all fairness,” Russell explained, “Edwards acted the same way as Obama.”

After a rally in which an energized and enthusiastic crowd adamently cheered on Sen. Clinton for the duration of her 25 minute speech, we caught up with Harvey, a young man from Houston who came down to show his support.

Having already been to “four or five” events throughout the campaign season, Harvey was passionate in his unwavering support for Clinton. Harvey stated that he was a Hillary fan “way before she decided to run.”

A volunteer on the weekends, Harvey proudly gave examples of many fellow volunteers who had put other commitments on the back burner to help in any way that they could.

In regards to the youth movement for Obama, Harvey explained what he saw as a “media thing” perpetuating Obama and his youth support, saying that young Clinton supporters “know how it really is.”

“This is the most passionate I’ve ever been about politics,” Harvey said with a gleaming smile. He went on to tell of how he and his roommate, everyday, discuss the campaigns for hours on end. “Not just a few minutes, I’m talking hours and hours,” he declared.

The media often stigmatizes male support for Clinton, making it seemingly rare. The same goes for youth support of the Senator, who routinely discusses the importance of making college affordable. The scene at the rally, and the passionate reviews of Clinton’s campaign from these two young gentlemen counter much of what we here on a regular basis through the media.

Gender and race, though heavily discussed to be voting deterrents, have not had any effect on these men’s vote. They’re voting based upon who they believe is best qualified for the job.

(Videos to come soon)