By: Conner Williams Editor-in-Chief
As the presidential candidates competed for delegates on Super Tuesday, the day in the election cycle where more delegates are at stake than any other day, I talked with several Western students about their thoughts on the election.
Rosario Peralta, a staff member at the Writing Center, said that she feels the election has been civil to an extent.
“I feel like it’s pretty civil, but at the same time, we have a lot of candidates that are extremes, which doesn’t happen all the time,” she said. “I think it’s civil from the candidates’ perspective, but I don’t necessarily think it’s civil based on how the media portray things.”
“I think it’s kind of a hot mess,” said Peralta. “I was listening to the radio recently and they said ‘We never thought we’d live in a world where Donald Trump could be the winner,’ and apparently that’s the world we live in […] it’s overwhelming and terrifying.”
Peralta said that the issues she finds most important in this election are education and immigration. She is a U.S. resident, but not a citizen, so she cannot actually vote in the election. Despite this, Peralta said that she does her best to campaign and advocate for the candidate(s) that she thinks address her concerns the most.
“I think how we treat other countries and people who come into our country is a big thing for me,” said Peralta.
Taylor Waite, a senior english major, said that she is frustrated with the way the election is turning out thus far.
“I feel a little frustrated from the way that politics are cultured now and are treated as reality TV,” she said. “It’s more about who can make more of a show out of it.”
Waite said that education and loan reform are among her top concerns in the election.
“Education is huge for me in that I’m paying for college,” she said. “I think [free education] is going to be the future of our country.”
“I’m also concerned about the job market because I’m a senior, for one, and coming out with a bachelor of arts, I’m not guaranteed a job,” said Waite.
Amanda Jester, a sophomore criminal justice major, said that she is excited for the election since it will be her first time voting.
“I think since it’s the first election I can vote in, it’s fun for me since I can actually participate in it,” she said.
“I want the focus to be on improving education and social services rather than military spending and things like that,” said Jester. “I also think that women’s health and women’s reproductive rights are huge issues for me.”
Jessica Esparza, a senior english major, also said that she has a hard time believing that Donald Trump is doing as well as he is.
“I think it’s kind of a joke right now,” she said. “I thought that Trump was going to a be a joke at first, and now he might actually be the Republican candidate.”
“I thought it was going to be a publicity stunt, but he just never went away,” said Esparza.
As the polls closed at the end of the day Tuesday, Donald Trump found himself still in the lead for the Republicans with 319 delegates, according to data from The New York Times. Ted Cruz follows shortly behind with 226, Marco Rubio with 110, John Kasich with 25, and Ben Carson with eight, though Carson has announced he will be suspending his campaign. In order to secure the party’s nomination for president, a Republican candidate needs 1,237 delegates.
Hillary Clinton stretched her lead to 1,052 delegates, while Bernie Sanders currently has 427. 2,383 delegates are needed for a Democrat to secure the party’s nomination for president.
Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC
