Sebastian Lemberger ’25
The writings of the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel give the impression of history as an entity that looms over the world, possessing some sort of capacity for “reason” that compels things to happen the way they do. In moments like the upcoming election, I feel like this entity of “history” is breathing down our necks. There is so much at stake in the upcoming election for climate change, the economy, and even basic democracy that we cannot afford to misstep. Where I would disagree with Hegel is that, in his mind, all events in history have rationality behind them. If there could be some way to rationalize the destruction of America’s political institutions under a second Trump presidency, I’d love to hear it.
Inti Stephenson ’25
I feel pretty confident about the election’s outcome at this point, and there are a lot of opportunities for the Harris campaign to grow. What I’m concerned about is what might happen if Trump loses again. I’m confident that Kamala will win, but if that happens there’s a high chance of political violence. Unfortunately, it’s very likely we’ll see something similar to January 6 happen again after the election.
Samson Gong ’26
I’m really dreading a repeat of 2016. As someone whose family has had a really slow immigration experience, despite having been here for half my life, protecting immigration and immigrants is definitely my top concern. Otherwise, I don’t feel that either candidate represents the issues I care about very well. I find it difficult to trust polls and I’m wary of overconfidence around the results, but I’m still hopeful for a positive result in terms of immigration policy.
Cyrus Law ’27
With countless predictions disagreeing over who will win the upcoming election, it’s hard
to say who will win. However, as an apolitical observer, recent developments have
been in favor of the Republican Party. Even though current polls have shown Kamala Harris
to be slightly more popular, Trump seems to be closing the gap. Of course, polls may not
accurately portray the thoughts and feelings of voters, but given Biden’s withdrawal from
the race and the failed assassination attempts on Trump, the Democratic Party has not
been painted in a particularly positive light.
Liam Gray ’27
My opinion about politics and the election is that the election seems unfair. From what I have heard from different media, I found that a lot of people who don’t want to vote for one president will just vote for the other without any knowledge of who they really are and what they stand for. To me, some votes don’t really reflect an honest opinion about the candidates running for president.
Allegra Lee ’27
I don’t know how the presidential election will turn out, and I honestly feel like I don’t need to. I could gather all the evidence I wanted to make a solid prediction: the poll numbers, the state maps, the donations given, and the endorsements made towards which party. But I’m a person who believes anything can change anytime. Maybe that’s in the spirit of an optimist, but I don’t want to let numbers limit what is possible. If I say supporting a candidate isn’t worth the fight because of some random poll, I’m just letting them lose.
Keren Song ’26
Because this country is so polarized, I feel that every time I try to speak on American elections, someone reminds me just how little authority I have on this issue. It’s ironic because I’m an immigrant and I’m young, which means I’m going to live here for a long time, and so the policies that are made now will probably affect me more than many of the voters and politicians leading the country. If I don’t have any authority around elections, who does? The stakes are really high, but I also have high hopes for the election. Though I feel certain people are trying to convince voters to vote against their issues, I have faith in the spread of information because of social media.
Russell Robinson ’25
The election’s shaping up to be a lot closer than I’d like. Though I appreciate a lot of President Biden’s actions and policies, I was considering supporting a third-party candidate while he was still running because I wasn’t especially passionate about more of the same. On the other hand, I feel that there’s a lot more energy around Vice President Harris, so I’m more excited about supporting her candidacy. Sadly, I think that third-party votes in this election are almost throwaways. Nonetheless, characters like Jill Stein worry me, especially because of their impact on the 2016 election.
Kai Wang ’27
Growing up in a family of Asian immigrants, American politics were never a subject at Thanksgiving dinner, if we even had a Thanksgiving dinner at all. But, with my dinners today being hundreds of miles from home and with people from across the world, I can’t help but find myself falling into the polarizing whispers of the upcoming election at times. I believe both candidates definitely have their merits, but also glaring weaknesses that shouldn’t be ignored as well. So, take it from an Asian: it’s especially important this month to take a step back from your inherent biases and consider what other candidates are arguing for, despite how deeply you may hate them or their platform.
Sean Park ’25
There was a lot of buzz right after the presidential debate, but as of now, the odds for both candidates seem pretty even. As my country isn’t directly impacted by this election, I’m a bit detached from a lot of political conversation on campus, and my attention is mostly on the campaign’s foreign policy. I will say that I do favor a specific candidate slightly, as the opposing candidate has had some negative remarks about my country in the past.
