The Progress Party kicked off its campaign for the fall Student Government election by taking it off.
Sam Miorelli, Progress Party chief counsel, said about 10 candidates and party volunteers stripped down to their underwear as part of Friday night's "Great Underwear Dash 6."
"We decided to kick off our campaign at the underwear run because that's something very student-run," Miorelli said. "It's all about the community, and that's the kind of SG outreach we're looking for."
For the event, which has been held every semester since spring 2005, UF students make donations to local shelters, remove their clothes and then run around campus.
Miorelli said the Progress envoy wore various types of white underwear with their names and "Pd. Pol. Ad" across the backside.
Election rules require parties to notify students of political ads.
They also spelled out "Progress" on their chests in green and white paint, the party's colors.
Miorelli said he has been in several previous dashes and thought this was one of the best turnouts so far, though he wasn't sure how many attended. According to Facebook, the event had 657 confirmed guests.
Miorelli said the group left from "Alachua," the artwork next to the Marston Science Library known as "The French Fries," and headed to 13th Street. From there, the group ran north to University Avenue, crossing the street to run by the bars and clubs just north of campus.
"There were Gator fans, Auburn fans, they were all high fiving us," Miorelli said. "I heard people at Publix talking about it the next day."
The dash came to a close as runners headed down Fletcher Drive to Turlington Plaza, he said.
Miorelli said his party hopes to build on the momentum of the dash today, when it joins the Gator Party in campaigning on campus for the election that begins Tuesday.
