On Tuesday, November 4, the American electorate spoke loudly through the ballot box, giving the Republican party control of the US Senate for the first time since 2007. Locally, the midterms were significant for a number of reasons, not the least of which was having Mia Love elected as the first female African-American Republican to serve in the House of Representatives.
Image provided by the Mia Love campaign website.
Presidents from both the USU Republicans and Democrats had passionate responses to the sweeping Republican victory on Tuesday. USU College Republicans Chairman Andy Pierucci felt that along with Republicans taking control of the Senate, Utahns and USU students could look forward to Utah having more power in Washington than it’s had before.
Peirucci said, “Senator [Orrin] Hatch will be the Senate President Pro-Tempure. Senator Mike Lee is an influential leader for many conservatives. Congressman Rob Bishop will likely become the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee… Mia Love is extremely popular nationally and will get basically whatever she wants in Congress from leadership.”
The Democrats lost 7 seats to Republican challengers in Senate races, and Utah will be completely represented by Republicans for the first time in a decade. USU Democrats president Hilary Webb feels as if Logan Democrats and the party as a whole have no need to be discouraged.
“I don’t think our party has any reason to be discouraged,” she said. “We made significant strides in this election. There are enough of us for our party to have a say in local government. We have a big enough portion of the vote to create changes. The more of the vote we win – even if we lose every race – the more likely candidates will be to cater to our needs and opinions.”
Overall both presidents had sentiments of raising political awareness on campus and ending the voter apathy that seems apparent among most students. “This is where we live, work and study. We go to a public institution whose funds are affected very much by local leaders,” said Webb.
Current leaders in Washington agreed after the elections that the American people are tired of federal gridlock and hope representatives will work together. When asked about cooperation, President Obama said that he “would look forward to sharing a Kentucky bourbon” with prospective new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky. While McConnell echoed the President’s sentiments, he quickly warned the President by means of the press not to pursue an executive order on immigration, as Obama has promised to do. “It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull,” said Mr. McConnell.
While it is still unclear if federal leaders will keep their post-election promises, USU students and the state of Utah can look to both Republican and Democratic students for leadership and political awareness, particularly in the years leading to the 2016 presidential election. One thing is clear – these elections will stir enough emotion to raise political awareness among Utah voters.
