Approximately 200 Wesleyan students were among the energetic crowd of 17,000 in Hartford’s XL arena, where Democratic candidate Barack Obama held a rally the evening before the Tuesday primaries.

Obama’s 48-minute speech followed introductions by Connecticut Congress representatives and Ted and Caroline Kennedy. Roaming the stage with microphone in hand, appearing loose and relaxed, Obama briefly touched upon his policy plans for issues such as health care and withdrawal from Iraq, but focused on explicitly addressing criticisms regarding his own electability.

“I am not running because of ambition…I know some people have been looking through my kindergarten papers,” he said, in his first implicit criticism of Senator Hillary Clinton of the night. “People are scared and anxious about the future. In the face of such challenges, we cannot afford to wait.”

“We can’t wait,” the crowd chanted back, which, along with chants of “We believe” and “Yes we can,” often interrupted Obama’s speeches for up to several minutes at a time.

There are 60 delegates available in Connecticut’s democratic primary, which will be distributed proportionally to candidates after Super Tuesday. Early Tuesday morning, http://www.presidentpolls2008.com/ listed Obama with 48 percent of the Connecticut vote and Clinton with 44 percent.

The closeness of the race has inspired both candidates to campaign heavily in the state during the past week, with Clinton making an appearance Monday morning at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, and Chelsea Clinton hosting an 8 p.m. “town hall” style meeting at Hartford’s Artists Collective.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced Obama at the Hartford rally.

“Do for Barack Obama what you did for John Kennedy,” he urged the crowd.

Caroline Kennedy, recently returned from a Los Angeles rally held on Sunday with Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, accompanied him. Also onstage were Connecticut House of Representatives members Rosa DeLauro, Christopher Murphy and Jon Larson, who kicked off the rally by asking the filled-to-capacity stadium if they were ready to “Ba-rock” the vote.

“I’ve never seen the stadium that filled,” said Áine McCarthy ’10, a member of Students for Barack Obama (SFBO) as well as a Connecticut native. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed in Connecticut before.”

Coordinators for campus group SFBO organized three bus trips from Usdan to Hartford, leaving campus at 2:10, 3:10 and 4:10 p.m. respectively. The bus left filled to capacity each time, some students squeezing three to a seat.

According to SFBO Coordinator Max Rothstein ’11, procuring the free bus trips was just as surprising as how quickly Connecticut turned into a battleground state.

While attending a meeting at the Obama campaign headquarters in Hartford, Rothstein (along with SFBO Coordinator Bradley Spahn ’11) had been musing aloud on the possibility of busing Wesleyan students to the rally.

“I was talking to Bradley about how we could get money for buses,” Rothstein said. “Then I jokingly turned to the room full of people and asked, ’hey, does anybody have $450 that we could use for buses?’ And one very nice donor helped us out.”

Rothstein and Spahn said that the donor wished to remain anonymous, but had no connection with the University.

During the Hartford rally, Obama made an explicit effort to address criticism that he was “inexperienced and naïve,” as he put it.

“’He’s too nice, he’ll be steamrolled,’” he paraphrased. “Listen: I may be skinny, but I’m tough. If you know what you stand for…you can disagree without being disagreeable.”

The crowd, waving signs inscribed with slogans such as “Not Just Ready, but Right,” was vocal in their support.

“I was watching Hillary Clinton on TV at her rally in Worchester and she was so bland in comparison,” said Zach Levine ’10, who said that he attended the Hartford rally on a whim, after mailing in his absentee ballot voting for Obama.

Obama also argued in favor of his ability to engage a wide diversity of voters across party lines, particularly disenfranchised Independents, Republicans and youths, long a theme of his campaign. Aine McCarthy ’10, a coordinator for the Wesleyan chapter of Students for Barack Obama, agreed with the Senator on this point.

“We had a lot of schoolchildren from Hartford, a lot of people of color, a lot of college students…” said McCarthy ’10. “It was exciting to see Obama engaging these populations in a way that shows he has the ability to truly bring the country together.”

Obama also continuously referred to his ability to bring in first-time voters and volunteers.

“I’m stunned to get interested and involved in politics and I’m hopeful and I’m looking for the change that is Obama,” said Linda Moore, a Home Health Aid from Woodbridge. She said it was her first time volunteering for a campaign, and that she would be voting for Obama on Tuesday.

Another first time political volunteer, ten-year-old Amber Crawford, recently elected Miss Pre-Teen U.S.A. Connecticut, said that Obama had her metaphorical vote.

“Cause he speaks his mind, and he’s all about hope,” she explained.

Details were skimpy when Obama touched upon his plans for improved health care, more creative curricula in schools, and an exit strategy for Iraq, although he often used personal anecdotes regarding those he met on the campaign trail.

When discussing health care, he described meeting a woman unable to procure insurance for a woman suffering from facial paralysis. “She didn’t understand in a country with wealthy how such a thing was possible,” he said.

He also used personal anecdotes from his own life, recounting how his own mother died of cancer when she was 53 years old and couldn’t get reimbursed for her medical needs. “We’re going to have a health care system, not a disease care system,” he said.

Obama most explicitly attacked Clinton in his discussion of Iraq and foreign policy, once again confronting issues of his own electability.

“If McCain is nominated, he won’t be able to say, you voted with me on the war,” he said. “I don’t want to just end the war. I want to the end the mindset that started the war.”

He also went after Clinton when discussing his willingness to engage in one-on-one diplomacy with the President of Iran.

“You can’t do that, folks in D.C. said. I said, watch me,” he said. “America needs to lead again, not just against fighting terrorism, but for human rights and civil rights.”

Post-rally, many Obama supporters still remained aware of the possibility of a less than stellar showing in Tuesday’s primary results.

“I’ll be disappointed,” said McCarthy. “But I can say we feel grateful that the Democratic Party has two strong choices at this time. We’ll all stand behind Clinton. We’ll continue with the all the work we’ve been doing to get out the vote in the fall. We all understand how important it is to have a Democratic President for the next four years”

McCarthy, who also celebrated her 20th birthday the day of the rally, described the day’s events as “amazing” and “unexpected.”

“Whatever happens, people will keep track of Obama,” she said. “We’ll all follow his career.”