By Jonathan Wenger, Contributing Writer
On Sept. 28, College Republicans hosted a watch party for the second Republican Primary debate in the CUB Junction. The event was for any student, regardless of political affiliation. Pizza and drinks were provided.
Senate Representative for the College Republicans Gavin Wilson ’27 helped in the planning of the event.
“The motivation for the club tonight was to just engage the community in a large Republican event tonight and just try and have people hear opinions. Know who’s running for president since that’s a big part of our club,” Wilson said.
President of College Republicans Tyler Seeman ’26 echoed a similar sentiment.
“But this is just an opportunity for a lot of students to come together, have a good discourse about what we’re seeing, and experience the raw reactions to what happens on live television. And it’s just a good opportunity to come together with some pizza and have some fun,” Seeman said.
Seeman also shared that while this was the first College Republicans event the club advertised to the entire campus, anyone is always welcome to come to their meetings.
In terms of the debate itself, students were excited to hear from all the candidates as they prepared for the primary elections leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Wilson shared how he wanted to hear from some of the lesser-known candidates.
“I’m interested to see a lot of the smaller candidates that aren’t very popular,” Wilson said. “I want to hear their opinions and what they have to say… you have your big, obvious nominees like Trump and Desantis, and you don’t really hear about the smaller ones that may not win this year, but they could make a name for themselves in the future.”
Seeman was excited about the many different backgrounds represented at the debate.
“We have more traditional politicians, civil servants and we also have an entrepreneur, who’s young. So just the opportunity to have just a real plurality of backgrounds and a plurality of options is wonderful,” said Seeman.
The debate featured North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Governor Christ Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator from South Carolina Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Seeman explained that while primaries are still several months out, the debates offer an opportunity for voters to gain an understanding of candidates and their platforms. The Democratic and Republican primaries in the Spring of 2024 will lead to the nominations for the 2024 Presidential Election on Nov. 5, 2024. Seeman encouraged fellow students to vote, saying that regardless of how you vote, it is part of being an engaged citizen.
As the nation approaches the primary season and the general election, Seeman encouraged his fellow students to be civically engaged.
“So vote, be engaged. Keep an open mind,” Seeman said. “And before you vote, research all the candidates. That’s really important to understand who you’re voting for.”
