The UA College Republicans held a rally and fundraiser featuring a congressman to talk about issues with the upcoming election.
The doors opened at 6 p.m., and students from the UA and Arizona State University piled in along with congressmen, candidates, local organizations and supporters of the College Republicans. The night included a meet-and-greet, a three-course dinner and a keynote address from Congressman David Schweikert. Schweikert represents the 6th district, which encompasses parts of Maricopa County. Proceeds benefitted the College Republicans.
Caleb Rhodes, political science junior, is the president of the College Republicans. He said he was excited for the event because he thought it was great to see so many Republicans from diverse backgrounds. He couldn’t wait to see those diverse Republicans head out in November and vote for a Republican victory. He added that he is optimistic for the outcome in November and would like to see his votes reflected in a more limited government, lower taxes and an overall better “interpretation of the constitution.”
As the meet-and-greet continued, more students spoke about their opinions on the upcoming elections. Zoey Kotzambasis, political science senior, was the president of College Republicans and is now the chairman of the Arizona Federation of College Republicans — the group that oversees all of the College Republicans in the state. She said that she could barely contain her excitement to hear from Schweikert. She added that in November, she hopes Schweikert’s legislation to “end EPA’s use of secret science” passes and that her votes will help create a balanced budget and make commercial space flight in Arizona possible.
Students from ASU were also in attendance. Nathan Brown, a political science senior, Rebecca Thieme, a global politics junior and Kevin Calabrese, a supply chain management sophomore, said they hope that clubs from both schools work closely together. They added that they are excited to hear Schweikert and cast their votes. Brown said he would like to get the government out of the way with regard to healthcare; Calabrese is voting for lower taxes with the hope that it will be better for businesses; and Thieme is voting to work on immigration. All were able to network and hear from several influential politicians in Arizona.
While students mingled with politicians and candidates, Debe Campos-Fleenor, a candidate for the Tucson Unified School District board, spoke about her platform. She said she wants to increase the amount of tax dollars put toward education. She would also like to reduce class sizes starting in kindergarten, so that kids can focus more on learning. She says that TUSD has lost 12 percent of its students in the last 10 years.
“I want the kids back,” Campos-Fleenor said.
Mark Finchem, a candidate for District 11 of the Arizona House of Representatives, said he was happy to see young adults attempting to know what’s going on in the political process. He said he was glad to see so many students trying to get involved and carry the voters’ message to Congress. He said that, in November, he hopes students will head to the polls and vote for “personal freedom, economic freedom and a debt-free future.” Finchem said he wants to increase educational funding.
The primary elections were on Aug. 26, and the general and special elections will be on Nov. 4.
—Follow Christianna Silva @christianna_j
