By Charlotte Broackway
The heat is on for the 2016 Presidential Election as we near the first debate on Sept. 26. As of Sept. 15, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are in a tie, with both candidates struggling to gain the confidence of the New York Times and CBS News poll finds. According to the New York Times, Hillary has 46 percent of likely voters while the Republican nominee Donald Trump has 44 percent. Trump and Clinton are tied at 42 percent each. Meanwhile, Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, has the support of 8 percent potential voters and Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee, stands at a 4 percent of likely voters.
Drew students have taken the time to divulge in the political atmosphere around campus as we lead up to the first presidential debate. When asked about either of the candidates, students responded with mixed views.
“I don’t love either of them,” Serena Rosenblatt (’18) said. “I think they both have made great accomplishments but have made very serious faults. I wouldn’t want either of them to win, but I know that isn’t realistic. I think some of the things Trump has said are atrocious but I also think some of the things Hillary has done are also questionable because no one talks about how she was almost indicted by the FBI”.
“I think this year we kinda got cheated,” Nina Campli (’20) said. “I don’t think the candidates are all that great. But, the bottom line is–is that I’m still gonna vote. Donald Trump’s views are a little skewed and Hillary Clinton has her benefits. She also has a ton of flaws and based on what I’ve read in the news, it just doesn’t seem very good. But I’m still gonna vote because I just realized that neither of them holds total powers so I think that they’re both kind of not so great. I think that either way, they’re gonna bring something good”.
“I know very little about politics,” Emma Agostini (’17) said. “I don’t like Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. I don’t think either of them are right for the job”.
“For Donald Trump, I don’t like some of the things he says,” Diana Oladetimi (’17) said. “For Hillary Clinton, I don’t know some of the things that she says. I think students are decided in that they pick the least worse”.
“I honestly don’t like either of the candidates,” Angelle Whavers (’18) said. “Neither are my favorites but I think considering Donald Trump, he’s made elections a joke and he’s treating it like a reality TV show. I feel like he’s trying to get a reaction and will say things just to get a lot of attention. With Hillary, I don’t agree with a lot of things but considering Trump, I would side with Hillary. I think she should have put Bernie Sanders as Vice President”.
When asked about the other potential candidates such as Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, students admitted they knew scarce information about the two independent candidates. Stein is the current nominee from the Green Party and Johnson is the Libertarian nominee.
“I don’t know much about Gary Johnson but I’m fairly certain he’s libertarian,” Agostini said. “Jill Stein is with the Green Party and she is not a real candidate in my mind because she is not qualified and I have no interest in the Green Party. I do think there are students who are still on the fence and I think the debate will be an important deciding factor for anyone who actually watches it. I am registered to vote”.
“I’ve never heard of Jill Stein,” Campli said. “I don’t know anything about the other candidates. You don’t really hear much about them in the news. I think Bernie Sanders would’ve been a better choice. I’m still not necessarily sure that he would’ve been the right choice”.
When asked if students have made up their mind or not towards this election and their reaction towards the first presidential debate, opinions again varied significantly.
“I have not made up mind,” Rosenblatt said. “I definitely think the debate is going to be interesting, they’re going to tackle each other.”
“I am not registered to vote yet,” Oladetimi said, “but I am going home soon and hopefully I will do so there, and I expect to see more of what I’ve been seeing lately for the Sept. 26 debate”.
“I feel November is important,” Campli said. “I feel like we should vote. I feel like it could go either way. You could have more people that are gonna come out to vote and you could have a ridiculous amount of people that aren’t gonna vote because they simply don’t like either of the candidates”.
“I’m not gonna watch the Presidential Debate,” Whavers said, “It’s just gonna be Donald Trump saying something stupid and people trying to talk sense to him and Hillary appealing to the audience”.
This is a developing story and The Drew Acorn will be watching how or if things intensify as we approach the 2016 Presidential Debate. The final day for voter registration for the state of New Jersey is Oct. 18. There will be a voter registration drive on Sept. 26 in the Ehinger Center.
Sept. 16, 2016
