By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
There’s little enthusiasm for Donald Trump on campus, and the leader of the student Democrats is working hard to make sure students express their antipathy for the Republican nominee where it counts – the ballot box.
With voting underway, so are get out the vote efforts. “Early voting is really, really, really important,” said Aidan Hubbell-Staeble, of the campus Democrats.
A Republican student leader Collin Claywell, who directs U.S. Sen. Rob Portman’s campus outreach operation for Northwest Ohio, said a week ago he wasn’t sure who he’d vote for.
Campus Republicans seek support at Campus Fest.
He sees the enthusiasm gap on both sides. Many Democrats’ view is, he said, “I guess I’m with her.” That’s especially true of those who supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the primary. Meanwhile young Republicans who are supporting the party nominee are doing so reluctantly. “They’ll stick to their party, their ideology,” Claywell said. “I totally understand that … to some extent.”
Yes, some students wear Trump-Pence paraphernalia, but they are a distinct minority. The aversion of the majority of students to Trump may be discouraging others from displaying their support.
Where he sees more enthusiasm is those who are supporting Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. He’s attracting students mostly from the most conservative students, but is also drawing some disaffected Sanders supporters. He hears little about Green candidate Jill Stein. Most of the environmental activists on campus, he said, seem to be backing Clinton.
Dislike of Trump is driving some of the support for Clinton, Hubbell-Staeble said. “A lot of people really recognize that there’s a big difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump because a lot of hateful things Donald Trump has said. They reject that. A lot of it is they’re whole heartedly rejecting the hateful things Donald Trump says.”
But students also feel she’ll do more to address the cost of college and issues related to policing. While Trump wants to reinstate stop-and-frisk policies, Clinton wants citizens review boards. And students think Clinton’s tax policies will be better for their parents and themselves.
He added: “Even those criticizing her are going to vote for her because despite their criticisms, she’s the most qualified candidate.”
According to a poll done by the BGSU Undergraduate Political Science Association after the campus debate watch party for the third meeting of Trump and Clinton, students are heavily favoring the Democrat.
Not only did the 150 or so students think she won the debate and had a more favorable view of her, 88 percent said they were planning to vote for Clinton with only 12 percent for Trump. Clinton’s margin had increased slightly from the pre-debate poll.
The association said that of those who completed the poll 19 percent identified as Republican, 54 percent Democrat, 20 percent independent, and 6 percent another party.
Hubbell-Staeble said that the Clinton campaign has invested heavily in its voter registration efforts on campus.
The fear always exists that students won’t show up, so as soon as registration efforts were over the attention will shift to getting out the vote.
A large student vote, Hubbell-Staeble said, is bound to help Democratic candidates lower on the ballot.
Claywell said that Trump’s candidacy “is already hurting vulnerable senate and house races,”
His candidate, though, seems to be weathering that storm. Claywell said he was surprised that Democrat Ted Strickland wasn’t doing better against Portman. He attributes it to the strong campaign the Republican incumbent is waging. He said his operation has made 900,000 voter contacts.
Hubbell-Staeble said that beyond the election, the Democrats should be poised to continue to grow. Many of those regulars at campus Democratic meetings, he said, are underclassmen as are many of the volunteers brought on by the Clinton campaign.
He feels the election has energized young voters. He credits the Sanders campaign. “It got a lot of people who were not previously interested in politics, interested in politics. It got a lot of people who felt disenfranchised, interested in politics.”
Claywell sees his party as due for a course correction.
Even if Trump wins, Claywell doubts he will be able to be effective.
If Clinton wins, “there’ll be soul searching,” he said. “We’ve turned too far to the right. We’re further to the right than the Reaganites were. It’s ridiculous.”
Trump supporters could split off to form their own alt-right party, he said. While it may have initial appeal, it will fade.
He feels that Portman and Gov. John Kasich, on whose reelection campaign he worked, will offer the party a path to a more moderate future.
