By Brandon Fey, Assistant News Editor
On Tuesday, Gettysburg College Republicans hosted their second annual Lincoln Legacy Dinner in The Atrium. This event commemorates the political legacy of President Abraham Lincoln with a dinner and guest speaker presentation. This year, the College Republicans hosted Representative for the 193rd District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Torren Ecker as the guest speaker.
The program began with an introduction from former College Republicans officer Carl DeMarco ’25, who expressed his gratitude for all who helped to plan the event while he was abroad over the fall semester.
He was followed by College Republicans President Tyler Seeman ’26, who spoke about the mission of College Republicans at Gettysburg College. Seeman shared that the organization aims to foster political engagement, professional development and social connections among students and professionals.
“We serve as an activist opportunity for students who feel compelled to engage in some sort of politics. We are a program for students to talk about ideas that are often not talked about on college campuses,” said Seeman.
He then introduced a video message sent from U.S. Senate candidate and former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs David McCormick.
In his personalized address, McCormick thanked College Republicans for organizing the event and shared some thoughts of admiration for the leadership and patriotism of President Lincoln. He commended the audience for taking an interest in politics at a young age and encouraged them to get involved to make a difference. McCormick also spoke about the importance of 2024 as an election year, as well as his campaign to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate and his intentions to bring about a positive change in Washington.
McCormick stated, “Each and every one of you has a role to play. Getting the vote out on college campuses and in our communities is an essential piece of the puzzle.”
Following the video from McCormick, College Republicans Vice President Evelyn Datte ’24 introduced Representative Ecker as the main speaker of the evening.
Representative Torren Ecker with members of College Republicans. (Photo Courtesy of Gettysburg College Republicans)
Ecker began his talk by sharing his background of finding a fascination with politics in high school, where he was actively involved in local efforts to support the reelection of President Bush. He emphasized the importance for young people to be involved in politics and community leadership.
Ecker said, “Showing up and being involved in your community is so important. Not only as Republicans but as good community leaders.”
Ecker then discussed the importance of voting and civic participation. He specifically addressed the common fallacy in which people believe that their individual votes do not have an impact, citing his own district primary election in 2018, in which he won by only a single vote. He compared this to a common trend of close elections in Adams County, where local races are frequently decided by fewer than 10 votes.
He further explained that putting oneself in uncomfortable situations is essential for learning and growing as a person, especially if it means engaging with people of different political opinions. He spoke about the significance of kindness and respect in political dialogue, encouraging the audience to always default to kindness and respect toward others even when they are faced with criticism or disagreement. He reasoned that politeness can be effective in diffusing difficult situations and earning the respect of others.
“No one can ever come after you if you kill them with kindness and love,” he said.
The speaker mentioned personal experiences in which he used this approach both in politics and daily life, finding it to be useful for navigating challenging interactions and maintaining a positive reputation.
Ecker concluded his talk by thanking Gettysburg College for hosting him and offering to be a personal resource for students.
DeMarco spoke again to deliver the closing remarks, expressing his excitement to continue this tradition for more years to come. Attendees then enjoyed a dinner catered by Gettysburg College Dining Services and commingled with guests from other nearby colleges.
