Elephant in the room

LU College Republicans and other clubs prepare for the upcoming election

With 59 days until the presidential election and 450 days since Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president, Jonah Athey sat in a coffee shop with his fingers crossed on the table and discussed his views on politics with an unwavering tone of optimism.

The Republican Party, he said with a broad grin, has a better shot in November than most people think.

Athey, president of Liberty University’s College Republicans chapter (CRLU), joins a number of students in political clubs and groups on campus who are gearing up for the political election season by campaigning for their candidate of choice and urging students to vote locally in Virginia.

Historically a swing state, in the last 20 years, Virginia has voted for the Democratic candidate twice and the Republican three times.

As for the CRLU, it officially rallied behind Trump less than a month ago when the club’s executives issued a statement saying it will endorse Trump as president in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.

Until election day, the club plans on hosting a number of events to engage students in the election season and register them to vote.

“We want people to vote regardless of who is on top of their ticket,” Athey said. “That said, we think that Donald Trump will be a much better choice than Hillary Clinton and recommend that all vote Republican down the line.”

In the upcoming weeks, the CRLU is attending the SGA nonpartisan debate-watching party, partnering with other political clubs and the Student Government Association (SGA) to host presidential debate parties, volunteering in a campaign call center, and setting up booths across campus to register students to vote.

Currently, the club has registered more than 300 students in Virginia.

The importance of students voting, Athey said, lies in the significance of the issues students should be concerned about in the coming years.

Among these are the next Supreme Court justices that will be chosen by the next president, the importance of preserving religious liberty, and focusing on the national debt that continues to increase exponentially.

Liberty’s chapter president of the Young Women for America, Savannah Barry, reflected Athey’s concern for the future of the nation.

“Our platform revolves around a lot of issues, whether it be things like pro-life issues, supporting veterans, or supporting traditional family and marriage,” Barry said. “We address all of these issues through a bipartisan viewpoint.”

The Young Women for America is a subsidiary of the Concerned Women for America, whose 501(c) nonprofit status limits it from endorsing a candidate for president.

Barry, though, said the club still is active in the political process through registering students to vote and advocating for issues its members are passionate about.

Though most conservatives and Republicans rally around these issues, Trump’s aggressive rhetoric has distanced a number of big-name Republicans including Mitt Romney and John McCain, for example, chose to not attend the Republican National Convention this past July.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine announced that she will not support Trump in any form in the upcoming election.

“I think that there are some things Trump can improve on, but down the line, our chapter and myself believe that Trump understands the majority of the issues and has a right approach,” Athey said. “Sometimes he says things that we wish he wouldn’t, but I think in the end he ultimately wants what is best for our country.”

Athey urged Liberty students who were wary about Trump to take a pragmatic approach and look at the alternatives.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, he said, cannot be trusted.

He believes Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who has become the go-to candidate for anti-Trump Republicans, does not show knowledge in foreign policy and will not protect religious liberty.

On Johnson, Athey continued to say that although he does not believe voting for Johnson is “throwing away your vote,” voting for him in a state where it is a close race could potentially help Clinton win the majority of votes in that state.

“In Utah and New Mexico where the race is tight, if you vote for Gary Johnson then you could be giving the win to Hillary,” Athey said. “In Virginia, it’s also a very close race, so I would encourage someone to look at the state polls if they are choosing between Trump and
Gary Johnson.”

Trump’s stance on immigration, foreign policy and economic issues has been welcomed for the most part by the members of the CRLU, according to Athey.

Though there are some students who have their doubts concerning Trump’s authenticity, he noted that the mood of the members in the CRLU has been largely positive.

The momentum of the Republican party and the upcoming presidential debates have Athey and other members of the CRLU hopeful for an eventual win in November — not only in the presidential elections, but in the congressional races also being decided in November.

“I would say I’m getting more and more optimistic about the results of the election each day,” Athey said. “I think if you look at the polls, Trump has been catching up. He’s been doing really well in some polls, and there are some where he is up by a few points, so I think it will really come down to the debates.”

To keep up with and participate in the events the CRLU is involved with, visit their Facebook page or e-mail Athey at jathey@liberty.edu.

Young is the news editor.