
America’s presidential election is heating up as Election Day inches closer and closer; it is now under 40 days away. The media coverage of the two opposing campaigns has been nearly nonstop and for good reason, it would seem. With how polarized our nation has become, things appear to be culminating in this presidential election, and the outcome could very well affect the deeper fibers of our nation’s government and political traditions. In a survey sent out several weeks ago, The Redhawk Report wanted to see how the general student population viewed the most recent presidential debate that was broadcast to the nation earlier this month. Of the 134 total responses, 75% of students said they watched at least some of the debate, whether in school or at home. We were also interested to see how Frontier’s students felt about various national issues that were discussed at the debate, and the top answer was the economy with almost 24% of students saying that was the most important issue to them. Reproductive rights, crime/gun violence, and climate change also were important topics to students. However, the issues of immigration and ending foreign wars were the least important out of the options given. We then asked students if they felt that, if they had watched the debate, there was a winner. An overwhelming 92% of them felt that Vice President Harris performed better than Former President Trump in the debate. Unsurprising, considering Massachusetts’ strong tendency to go blue in presidential elections, but the more interesting trend was the 8 students who believed that Former President Trump “won” the debate: Half of the eight voters who selected the Former President also said that their most important issue was the economy, which has been a large talking point for the Trump campaign during this election season, and even before it began.

The Redhawk Report wanted to dive deeper into student political views and was able to interview several students about their opinions on the election, as well as how they felt about America’s current political climate. We spent time with four students, two of whom leaned towards Vice President Harris, and two of whom leaned towards Former President Trump. These four students, who chose to remain anonymous, stressed their desire for the future president to be in touch with the American people, but that is where most of their similarities ended.
The first student we talked to was a strong supporter of Vice President Harris and felt that Harris embodied their description of an ideal leader, who they described as someone kind, and who grew up in a working-class environment, allowing them to be better in touch with the average American citizen. They described Harris’ debate strategy as being “a president for the people, not for herself”. They also pointed to the Vice President’s policies relating to climate change as a big reason for their endorsement of her, saying, “If we’re talking about our planet dying, I think that everything comes after making our planet a safe place to live in.” And when asked if they felt there was any current threat to American democracy, they quickly answered with Donald Trump: “He literally, directly said at one of his rallies, ‘You have to vote only this time.’ I don’t know how I feel about that.” They also pointed to the Former President’s running mate, J.D. Vance, saying that the two Republican nominees are racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic. What seemed to worry this student the most, though, is what the Former President’s supporters might do if he loses the election in November, citing the events of January 6th: “For it to be a point where Kamala Harris wins and then they don’t believe that it’s accurate yet again … it just seems honestly dangerous … especially because we are so politically divided right now.”
Moving towards the center of the political spectrum, we talked to another Harris supporter who started off their interview by telling us that they didn’t like either candidate: “The candidates have been increasing polarization … if you need more votes, you kind of have to play devil’s advocate, so to speak.” Many Americans seem to feel similarly, citing both Trump’s hateful and criminal past and Harris’ perceived lack of genuineness. Where this student felt Harris met their criteria for president was in her youth compared to Former President Trump and the fact that this was her first time running as the Democratic nominee: “It’s a new face, at least. Even though she’s technically been in the Oval Office, she hasn’t been fully leading it.” This point has been heavily contested from both sides of the aisle, with people claiming that Harris has become a de facto president in the last couple of months with President Biden practically being a lame-duck president after his withdrawal from the election race. Others view Harris’ youth and “new face” negatively, claiming that Trump is better suited for the White House since he has already served a term on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Jumping across the aisle, we spoke to a similarly divided student who instead leaned toward the Former President. They expressed disappointment in the Republican primary elections, saying that they were a big supporter of Vivek Ramaswamy, emphasizing his youth as a way for him to be better in touch with the American people. But their biggest reasoning for supporting Former President Trump was his policies on immigration: “I say he treats the immigration system more fairly. Under the Biden administration, we saw a bunch of immigrants, illegal immigrants, just walk through the border easily.” This student stressed that their concern about immigration was not rooted in ethnic bias or any correlation to crime rates but in the ideal of fairness. They also felt that the Former President “stands by his values more”, and stated that Vice President Harris should do the same if she wants to win more support. Despite being a supporter of the Former President, this student admitted they would be happy if Kamala Harris won the election, noting how she would be America’s first female president.
Finally, we spoke to a student who was a strong supporter of Former President Trump. Surprisingly, they said that they sought out qualities in a leader that echoed what the students supporting Harris had said. However, America was the top priority for this student, and they believed it was for Donald Trump, too: “He would do more for the U.S. citizen and not just being out there for everyone in the world and having his main focus on the people of the United States.” They also acknowledged America’s increasing political polarization, stating that it was the biggest current threat to American democracy and that because of the increasing control of political parties, the people’s voices are being drowned out at the federal level. They stated that the biggest issue for America right now is immigration and that Trump’s policies on it are a big reason why they are a supporter: “I think that his policies are a lot more clear, and … I think that Kamala isn’t as focused on immigration, and that’s our biggest issue right now.” When asked about the equity of America’s election systems, this student voiced a unique view on the Electoral College: “When it’s hard to decide for the people what they want, I think that the Electoral College is the best case scenario. They’re the people that should be making decisions. But I think if the people show that they want one person over another, then the College shouldn’t have any say in who gets the presidency.”It’s safe to say that this election will be a divisive one and by all accounts a close one. The best we can hope for as a nation is a peaceful transfer of power from President Biden to whichever candidate is elected by the people of America, and we must not let this election and its results divide us. If you are eligible to vote in November, please register at www.sec.state.ma.us/ and participate in our democracy on November 5th. Before casting your ballot, remember to do your share of research about the candidates and their policies; an uninformed vote is a blind vote. If you are interested in being interviewed by the Redhawk Report regarding the election or any other topic in our upcoming October issue, please reach out to Mason Smith at massmi922@stu.frsu38.org .