The Bruin - Iowa Caucus Special Edition - February 2020

February 2020

TRUMP DOMINATES GOP FEEL THE BERN, AGAIN RISE OF PETE BUTTIGIEG GEN Z VOTERS BRUIN TAKES IOWA

SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE Wadsworth High School

Volume XLV No. 5

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IOWA CAUCUS W H AT Y O U N E E D T O K N O W

WHAT IS A CAUCUS?

BY JILLIAN CORNACCHIONE

A caucus is an electoral event and local meeting among members of a particular political party. These individuals come together in a unique location to show their support for the candidate of their preference.

The Republican caucus deals with a secret ballot, in which the members vote for a candidate to run as the Republican nomination. In contrast, the Democratic caucus does not carry out a secret ballot. Instead, its members separate into different groups corresponding to each candidate. If there is no clear majority toward one specific candidate, the members are given a short period of time to try and persuade others present at the meeting to join their group. After each vote, if a candidate does not reach at least 15% of support from the caucus-goers, the candidate is unviable and those that caucused for him or her must then select a new candidate to caucus for. This process continues until one candidate has received the clear majority. This can take hours with neighbors and community members debating the pros and cons of each candidate.

The Iowa Caucus is a one-day event that is tremendously influential for the nation. It is the first official caucus in the U.S. presidential primary season, and it is a strong indicator of how the presidential candidates will do later on in the running. In fact, in the past four presidential elections, the Democratic candidate who came out on top at the Iowa Caucus ended up with the U.S. Democratic nomination.

SHOULD THE CAUCUS CONTINUE?

Y

PHOTO BY AXEL MUELLER

E

S

N The caucus proctor reads the instructions for how to fill out the ballots for the voters. Because of the app failure, each ballot needed to be counted for the final vote.

O

BY EMILY BRANDYBERRY

BY SETH SMALLEY

With all of the issues occurring during the 2020 Iowa Caucus, many people have been questioning whether or not the caucus is still relevant or needed.

However, the Iowa Caucus is a staple of United States history and should not be abolished.

The caucus gives the rest of the nation a good idea of who will be the Democratic candidate. Since 1972, 67% of the time, the winner of the Iowa Caucus goes on to be the Democratic candidate.

Although this year’s caucus may be brushed aside due to all the problems, the typical caucus winner’s numbers are boosted. They are bumped in not only the New Hampshire polls but the national polls as well.

In addition to that, the Iowa Caucus has the power to influence the rest of the nation’s polls, it also makes people feel like their vote matters. Rather than doing a silent ballot like the Republicans, the Democrats all gather together to vote.

“I like the caucus format because it gives a greater opportunity to inform the voters more,” said Chris Steele, 12. “A lot of time we hear of people going to the primaries with no idea of who is on the ballot, but this way voters get the opportunity to learn about the candidates.”

They feel a sense of accomplishment while voting because their body is actually important. If they are not there, then their vote does not count. Along with that, it gives voters the opportunity to interact with each other and explain why they believe in the candidate they are voting for.

“It makes people feel like they are actually part of politics,” said Anna Wolfinger, 12. “Their presence literally matters and it makes them feel better about their vote rather than pen on paper.”

The caucus also gives candidates their first real opportunity to prove that they can win the Democratic nomination. Going in to the 2020 caucus, it was believed that the winner would be either Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden, however, Pete Buttigieg has made an astounding comeback to prove he is a force to be reckoned with.

The Iowa Caucus is an important part of American history that has shaped the country. Getting rid of the caucus would be taking away a classic tradition not only for Iowans, but Americans as well.

The Iowa Caucus is an outdated and convoluted voting system that should be abolished. The process is much too time consuming and discourages many possible voters from participating.

This year’s Iowa Caucus highlighted many of the issues with the current caucus system. The application used to tally the votes crashed delaying the final results by multiple days.

This year, the Democratic National Committee used a new app to record the results of the Iowa Caucus. The application had a major coding issue where it was only reporting part of the results. The DNC chose to use the app because it is not a ballot system, it is based on numbers of physical voters. Along with the app, they also altered the rules of voting.

Previously, voters were able to move to their second choice candidate in the second round. However, this year if the first choice was viable, voters were unable to move to other groups.

“I feel like it takes way too long,” said Brian Coote. “It has the opportunity for so much error that I don’t think its worth the amount of work it has taken.”

The point of the caucus is to introduce debate. Allowing voters to persuade their neighbors into supporting other candidates. However, this did not happen. A large amount of the voters we saw who had the opportunity to move to their second choice decided to leave, thus eliminating the point of having a debate. Not only does this lower debates, but it also lessens the numbers of voters, eliminating much change from round one to round two.

The caucuses are not always an accurate representation of the people’s opinion because many people are disinclined to participate due to the length of it. A lot of people are excluded from joining because they have work or a family to attend to. It is not realistic for everyone that wishes to participate.

The voter participation in Iowa during the caucus is drastically lower than other primaries.

This turn out issue could be fixed by replacing the caucus with a traditional primary vote. By doing this it could eliminate the confusion, error, and delay of results.

COVER PHOTO BY AXEL MUELLER

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IOWA CAUCUS

IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS

BY JILLIAN CORNACCHIONE

IOWA RESULTS

As the Ohio students piled inside the cafeteria doors of Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, they were suddenly flooded with an overwhelming sense of exhilaration, knowing they were about to witness history in the making.

Iowa residents were gradually filling up the room, already sitting in the section devoted to their preferred candidate. The student journalists dispersed throughout the cafeteria, interacting with the Iowa caucus-goers and gathering many different perspectives. Their ultimate goal was to gain insight and a sense of understanding on the true political significance of the event.

When the caucus was underway, the environment was constantly shifting, with electricity on each side of the room. Many people were initiating chants unique to their preferred candidate, specifically the Warren members who brought nothing short than a burning passion from the start. Her supporters were chanting a variety of phrases, such as “dream big, fight hard” and “I am a Warren Democrat.” After Warren began, other candidate groups started their own chants. The Sanders supporters shouted “Not me, Us.” Some candidate members were canvassing the room, bringing up political discussions, and specifically singling out the uncommitted by using a variety of persuasive tactics to gain support and comradely.

“He truly wants a country united,” said Buttigieg supporter as he persuaded Biden participants. “I know so many independents who are drawn to Pete. My dad, who voted for Trump in 2016, is looking at Pete as a man who wears his faith on his sleeve. Pete is a healer, and I know that you will be proud of him if he becomes our president.”

In order to remain a viable candidate, the contender must receive at least 15% of the total vote in that specific caucus spot. At the location the students attended, the distinct number to reach for each candidate was 49. For this specific precinct, one of nearly 1700 in the state of Iowa, the Buttigieg, Warren and Sanders clusters remained relatively constant over time with a number well above the minimum amount, while Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer received little to no votes.

Who many considered a front runner, standing at the top of the rankings for several months leading up to caucus night, Joe Biden surprisingly fell short of this number.

Alike, Amy Klobuchar and Andrew Yang were determined to be non-viable.

However, this tremendous setback did not ultimately deprive these candidates

from the possibility of acquiring any delegates.

While Yang and Biden never compiled enough votes to bring them up in the ranking, on the other hand, things took a dramatic turn for Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who latched onto a newfound momentum mid-caucus. Powered by unforeseen hope, her passionate advocates drew the support from several undecideds, as well as those who were still present after their candidate was overruled. She eventually comprised enough supporters to regain viability.

“I like what has happened here, what’s happened around the state I don’t know,” said Steve Weiss, supporter of Klobuchar. “If she can jump someone to become fourth or maybe even third, that would bode well.”

The results of the first caucus left Sanders with 99 votes, Warren with 76, Buttigieg with 73 and Amy with 57. There was a three way tie in the number of delegates each candidate obtained, with Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg getting sent three in their favor, and Klobuchar close behind with two sent in her direction.

“I am feeling good, this is just one precinct, but I think she did great here so I’m excited to see what happens,” said Warren supporter, Paul Felcomb.

The high school students also had the opportunity to observe a second caucus that was already in motion upon arrival. This particular location played out much differently compared to the previous. It was inexplicable to some to find out that Sanders, the candidate who obtained the overwhelming majority of votes in the previous caucus, was announced as non-viable. This came as a great shock to many of the Sanders supporters.

“Coming into the caucus, I thought Bernie had the first place spot in the bag,” said Des Moines native Gabby Dean. “It was so shocking to see that there weren’t too many people coming over to support him. It felt very defeating to see this all go down.”

The leading contenders in this second caucus consisted of Buttigieg with 91, Klobuchar with 64, Biden with 63, and Warren with 63. The remaining candidates were non-viable and were unable to build up enough power to change these roles.

After the state-wide totals have been computed and voiced throughout the nation, the high placing candidates will travel to the second Primary in New Hampshire where they will test their luck and compete for yet another crucial tone setting state.

DUE TO A FAILURE IN NEW REPORTING TECHNOLOGY, CAUCUS RESULTS WERE DELAYED AND WERE 100% RELEASED FEBRUARY 6, 2020

1

2

26.2%

3

18%

26.1% BUTTIGIEG

SANDERS

WARREN

BIDEN: 15.8%, KLOBUCHAR: 12.3%, YANG: 1%, STEYER: 0.3%

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2

97.1%

3

1 .3% TRUMP

1 .1% WELD

WALSH

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IOWA CAUCUS OUR STORY

DAY 1

BY BRIAN COOTE

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ith a 5:30 AM departure, the Wadsworth Bruin headed off to Des Moines, Iowa. Traveling with two other schools, Lordstown and Newbury, the Bruin began the first of what would be a long, 13-hour drive.

With what seemed like countless hours and a long road ahead, the students found creative ways to entertain themselves.

“I was getting very restless and antsy towards the end of the ride,” said Bruin staff writer, Chris Steele, 12. “I was looking forward to using the TV we brought to play games on, but we forgot the power cord. Instead, we used the monitor as a flat table to play ‘Uno’ with a group of people. It made the time go by much faster.”

Many students found themselves wasting away the hours by sleeping through the ride.

“We had to wake up at 4:30 AM to meet the bus at 6:30 AM in Streetsboro,” said Anna Wolfinger, 12.

“I’m actually glad we woke up so early because I found myself sleeping through the ride up until lunchtime.”

DAY 2 D

ay two of the Iowa trip began as students became fully emerged in the campaigns. Students had the choice to work with volunteers from the campaigns

PHOTO BY AXEL MUELLER

Sarah Scobee, Abby Wichterman and Jillian Cornacchione smile while canvassing for the Joe Biden campaign.

The first stop during the trip was for lunch and then the staff stopped at the World’s Largest Truck Stop, located on Iowa 80. The staff then got the chance to explore the store before leaving for Des Moines.

“Before today, I had no idea there was a Truck Museum,” said Axel Muller, 11. “I was really surprised when we walked into the store and witnessed the number of artifacts and collectibles available there.”

After the bus had arrived in West Des Moines, students dropped their luggage off in their rooms and met with representatives of their assigned campaigns. The Bruin staff split into either the Biden, Sanders or the Iowa GOP campaigns. The Biden meeting was held by Marcus Hoekstra, a Michigan native, who has been working with the campaign for a month. The Sanders meeting was run by Kate McGuire, an organizer in the Sanders campaign. At this meeting, She discussed what Bernie’s campaign staff would be doing. Their main focus would be working to get local supporters to attend the caucus. of Biden, Sanders or the Polk County GOP Headquarters.

This gave them the chance to participate in getting voters involved.

Those in the Sanders campaign met with Kate McGuire and Rose Asfa, who either cold-called or went doorknocking to attract supporters for the Monday night caucus.

McGuire and Asfa talked with the students about why it is important to drive voters to the caucus, as many people in Iowa do not have time to attend.

“It was really cool getting to go out and walk the neighborhood of West Des Moines and learn how a campaign truly works and how to get people to show up and caucus,” Steele said. “It was disappointing that we didn’t have many people answer and that at one point someone saw us coming and quickly locked the door.”

At the Biden campaign, the group was also cold calling and canvassing the neighborhoods.

“We talked to a bunch of people living in this neighborhood in Des Moines about Joe Biden and his campaign,” aid Anna Wolfinger, 12. “We got to have conversations with people about what they were looking for in a candidate and discuss what the caucus meant to them. It was inspiring to meet people who were so open to discussing their views.”

Juniors Micah Beck and Brianna Becerra briefly separated from the group to cover the Elizabeth Warren rally in Iowa City. They were given special seating in the rafters behind the stage, allowing them to be extremely close to Warren.

Though Warren skipped her traditional “selfie” line due to the recent impeachment trials, her dog, Bailey, was there to take her place as she sped off to her next rally.

PHOTO BY SARAH SCOBEE

During a 13 hour bus ride to Iowa, members of the Wadsworth Bruin slept for most of the trip.

“Being that close to Warren was insane,” said Becerra, 11. “The energy at that rally was something that I’ve never experienced before. There was so much love and hope for the future.”

To end the night the staff went to Bernie Sanders and Vampire Weekend concert rally in Cedar Rapids. The rally was opened by Lissie, a young band that covered some well-known songs. After that, the rally featured guest speakers like Michael Moore, Cornel West, Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, and Congresswomen Ilhan Omar.

At one point during her speech, State Senator Nina Turner gave a shout out to the students who drove all the way from Wadsworth, Ohio.

“Can I just pause and give a shoutout to some high school students from my home state?” said Senator Nina Turner. “Is that alright? Wadsworth High School, where you at, baby? I had to pause and shout out to those young people.”

The speakers built up hype for Sanders and quickly commented on his stances. Then Sanders came out and further discussed his political views and need for voters at the caucus. He highlighted his stances on popular political issues, like Medicare.

After Sanders speech, the band, Vampire Weekend, began their concert. The staff got to dance while listening to the band, then afterwards headed back to Des Moines on the bus.

“Although I didn’t agree with a lot of the things said tonight, I loved the energy that the crowd and the speakers had,” said senior, Kate Messam.

IOWA CAUCUS DAY 3 T

he following day, the staff continued their campaigning.

With less than 24 hours left to promote their platforms, the presidential candidates ramped up their campaigns to take the Iowa Caucus victory. Countless rallies were held across the state. The Bruin got the opportunity to be at the rallies of Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg.

The staff started at the Pete Buttigieg rally where they met Senator Michael Donald Brown, a super-delegate interested in Buttigieg. Senator Brown was focused on getting Democrats to rally together. The students discussed his opinions on being undecided super-delegate, about the future generation and the importance of getting involved.

During Buttigieg’s rally, he discussed his beliefs on health care, student debt and climate change. Before the rally began, volunteers went around with paper in order to get questions from supporters. During the rally, Buttigieg randomly selected questions and answered them during his speech. Anna Wolfinger’s question was chosen, which asked about what Buttigieg would do about climate change, which he believes is a national security threat.

After the rally, the staff got the chance to take pictures and shake hands with Buttigieg. Chris Steele caught Buttigieg

DAY 4 B

usiness manager, Logan Egleston, started the Monday morning with Joe Walsh at a local coffee shop. He had the chance to sit down and have a one-on-one interview with the representative.

“Being able to sit down with Congressman Walsh was an incredible honor,” said Egleston. “He is a big supporter of the media and the youth, and he gave me a large amount of respect and attention.”

The other staff started the morning splitting between Joe Biden’s and Bernie Sanders’s campaign. At the Sanders campaign, Kate McGuire, an organizer for Sanders, led the volunteers in a mock caucus where they learned how a caucus works and how people select candidates, elect convention delegates and establish the party’s policy position on candidates and issues.

“Practicing how a caucus works was interesting because it is very different from regular voting,” said Wadsworth senior, Seth Smalley.

Part of learning about the campaign was talking about undecideds and persuading people to choose their candidates.

The staff went through an exercise where they pretended to try and sway voters to choose their candidates.

“I thought that practicing persuasion skills was really cool and especially important to this caucus,” said Brianna Becerra.

OUR STORY

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while walking around and was able to ask him a question on how he is trying to reach out to the younger generation.

“When I saw Pete going up to people taking pictures, I was thinking about how cool it would be to ask him a question even though it was a long shot,” said Steele. “It was a surreal moment getting talk to possibly the future president of the United States.

It’s a conversation I’m gonna remember for a long time.”

Staffers also had the chance to attend a Joe Biden rally at a middle school in the evening. The gym was packed with Biden supporters and even a few hecklers that made unexpected jabs at him while he gave his speech. Though the retaliation was unexpected, the staff was still able to listen to Biden discuss his policies and hope for the future of American politics.

“It was kind of cool to see all of the different Democratic rallies and how their views differ,” said Micah Beck, a staffer in attendance. “Getting to go up close was super cool, too.”

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan also attended the rally and made time to meet the high school students. He paused for a moment to allow some Bruin staff members to interview him.

“I was impressed, though, when he came back to talk to me after being swept away by other reporters,” said Kate Messam.

“He seemed genuinely interested in the quick conversation we had and he was very kind to everyone around us. I texted my mom immediately after and told her how cool the experience was.”

When the Bruin staff returned to the hotel in order to work on stories. While staffers were working, Micah Beck, 11 and Abby Wichterman, 12, were interviewed by Channel 5 about their experiences on the trip and their jobs.

“We were able to talk about the trip and all that we have learned so far,” said Wichterman. “I was so nervous to be interviewed but it ended up going really well. It is so cool that these bigger news sources are interested in what we are doing here in Iowa.”

The students working at Biden’s campaign arrived at a different location than Saturday and made phone calls to Iowa citizens. Senator Chris Dodd and Congresswomen Dina Titus and Lisa Blunt Rochester visited the students and talked with them about Biden.

“It was really great to see someone so passionate about Biden and show us the hard work and dedication it takes to get this far into the election,” said Halle Shaeffer.

The day was not just focused on the caucus as the staff visited shops and ate lunch together in Des Moines. First on the shopping trip was Raygun, a political merchandise store.

“I thought that the Raygun store was super cool because they had so many different designs that I never thought I would see,” said Emily Brandyberry, 11.

After Raygun, the students visited Marvs Music, a record store filled with both older and newer classics, as well as an antique shop, filled with little trinkets and handmade gifts.

Before the caucus, the staff ate lunch at Zombie Burger, a zombie-themed restaurant. The menu played off of popular movies having names like Dawn of the Dead, the Walking Ched and the Negan.

After lunch, the staff started to focus on the caucus. On the ride over, a survey was taken of the forty-eight students traveling on the trip on who would win the Democratic and Republican caucuses. Only being able to choose between one party, the Republican had ten votes, five for Trump and five for Walsh. The Democrats had the remaining amount of votes

with Buttigieg winning twenty-two votes, Sanders having five, Warren having four, Biden having two and Yang with one. Four went undecided.

Once in a local caucus area, the Bruin faced difficulties.

“My main job of the trip is to videotape and document what we see, so when we were first told we could not move or go talk to people it limited my abilities,” said Wadsworth junior, Micah Beck. “Fortunately, they loosened their restrictions and I was able to video the caucus.”

As the caucus began, cheer, chants and political chat broke out throughout the cafeteria to accumulate the most members. The Bruin staff worked the edges of the room listening to the conversations and recording the events they saw. In the end, Sanders had the most voters in the room, followed by Warren, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar.

After the caucus, the staff went back to the hotel to work on their stories. They stayed up very late to find which candidate would win Iowa but due to an error with the Iowa caucus app and miscommunication, the winner was not announced until 4 nights later.

At the 6:30am on Tuesday, the staff boarded the bus home. During the drive they produced even more stories and planned for their print issue. The students then had two days at school to craft the second part of their double issue. Rushed to fill the pages with their experience, the staff worked until late Thursday night.

PHOTO BY SARAH SCOBEE

On Saturday, February 1, the Wadsworth Bruin staff attended the Bernie Sanders rally, featuring a Vampire Weekend concert.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HALLE SHAEFFER

Halle Shaeffer and Jillian Cornacchione pose for a photo with presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH SCOBEE

Seth Smalley and Logan Egleston pose for a photo on the bus, holding juice boxes sported with gummy worms on top.

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IOWA CAUCUS REPUBLICANS

DONALD TRUMP

DOMINATES ALL CANDIDATES

are all the names of Leffler’s family members who served in the military “What President Trump has done for our military, restoring our military to its honor he Democrats have been at the forefront of the Iowa caucus because of their and to our country’s presence around the world, how can you turn and look the other incredibly different way of caucusing, with very little heard from the Republicans. way on that? It’s for that one reason alone that I can support our president,” said President Trump rallied in Iowa just a day before the Bruin staff arrived and showed Leffler. minimal concern about the competition he faced during the caucus. However, just Trump has shown the country that, despite his trademark politically incorrectness because he had little representation the week leading up to the caucus does not mean and impulsive tweets, he is the one to lead the nation for four more years. President that his support in the state is nonexistent.

Trump has followed through with unpopular risks in order to protect the nation’s “In the Polk County GOP office, the elected volunteers were distributing Trump 2020 national security. Trump’s order to assassinate Islamic leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi signs to all the voters who wished to have them,” said Wadsworth High School senior, in 2019 was an incredibly dangerous action. The plan, though, proved successful.

Logan Egleston. “The GOP was doing call banking, mailing caucus information, and In an interview with Vox’s Alex Ward, former director of the U.S. National Counter really anything they could to get the registered Republicans in the area out to their terrorism Center Michael Leiter said how the death of the ISIS leader was beneficial caucus to vote.” to America. Leiter was also a part of the raid and killing of Osama bin Laden.

While at an Iowa GOP office, Egleston and Bruin staffer Seth Smalley sat down with “It’s still important to kill him, because he was an inspirational leader within Syria the chairman of the Polk County Republican party, Nick VanPatten, and co-chairman and beyond,” said Leiter.

Connie Schmett. The four discussed many matters the GOP deals with daily, and talked Trump has the capability and the assets to leave the presidency once his four years about one specific topic on the volunteers in the office. are over, but he is choosing to run for re-election because he cares about the well“They all love Donald Trump. They all love what is going on in our economy and what being of the United States. He is here because he wants to fight for the security of the is happening overall in our state in the United States of America, which is beautiful,” American people. said VanPatten.

“President Trump is not a typical Republican, and despite some character flaws, he Trump has faced almost no opposition from the Republicans, other than opponents is constantly improving his ability as President of the United States,” said Egleston.

Joe Walsh and Bill Weld. With the smallest amount of resistance coming at him from “You can’t please everyone, but Trump knows his crowd, and they support who he is.” his own party, Trump has had no real reason for putting much energy into campaigning Donald Trump’s voice is the loudest out of all the candidates. With his policies in Iowa. What the Republicans do for Trump before the caucus do not matter, anyways. and beliefs well documented, they have struck the candidates so severely that he It is what they do for him afterwards in showing their support for the president is was all that the other hopefuls spoke about during their own rallies. Only President what really makes an impact. The continuation of Trump has the platform and the influence to preaching the good he has brought to this nation is reach every corner of the nation, whether people what his campaign will rely on. like him or not.

Trump has taken great satisfaction in his thriving President Trump was also recently acquitted economy, and us as Americans should as well. The in his impeachment trial. The United States U.S. is going through an incredible decrease in Senate voted to not bring any witnesses against unemployment, the lowest rate in half a century. His President Trump as a means to move the process tax cuts have also had an enormous impact on the of acquittal along, and the votes in the Senate economic growth in the country. came in as expected, following party lines. With On another note, the president has expressed President Trump being in the clear of being his overwhelming support of the military through removed from office by the Senate, he still faces numerous actions taken to better the U.S. armed the challenge of the 2020 election. Trump has forces. already dominated the Iowa Caucus, and it is Local Iowan Gary Leffler travels around the state far-fetched that he will not win the Republican in support of President Trump, bringing along his bid. With a long line of primaries ahead, it is famous Trump tractor. The tractor is covered in unsure who the Democratic candidate will patriotic symbols, “Keep America Great” flags, and be squaring off against President Trump in other insignias. Leffler uses the tractor as a way to PHOTO BY KATE MESSAM November, however, in similar fashion to 2016, represent the president and his policies, and all he Iowa resident Gary Leffler attends candidates’ rallies and other events with his tractor the 2020 election has the chance to make the has done for America. On the inside of the tractor decorated with different symbols representing his support for President Trump. history books.

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OPINION BY KATE MESSAM

THE REPUBLICANS’ SECRET TO A QUIET CAUCUS

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BY LOGAN EGLESTON

he differences between the Republican and the Democratic party are many, so it stands to reason that when it comes to caucusing, each respective party has a different method of collecting votes. The postcard image of an American Caucus is usually depicted by the Democratic vote. Iowa residents of a given county precinct stand in the corner of a local public school gym, making a case for their candidate of choice, slowly eliminating candidates one by one until the entirety of voters stand for one candidate.

The process is both highly paced and highly staked. The Republican party, however, has a quieter and more laid back caucus.

Instead of a vocal election, The Republican party votes by secret ballot, meaning the voters will be given a ballot with all candidates. They will fill it out in secrecy and then the votes are tallied. While the Democratic caucuses can take up to two or more hours, the Republican caucus can sometimes be over before it even begins. According to the Iowa Polk County Republican Chairman, Nick VanPatten, on years where there is an incumbent Republican candidate, the precinct director simply asks the voters if they

would like to vote for anyone else other than the incumbent. While the voters can still request a secret ballot, often times they just state they are voting for the incumbent.

Despite whether or not there is an incumbent, party leadership has to honor any and all candidates who wish to be on the ballot.

“We let anybody who shows up to a given caucus speak,” said Connie Schmett, Polk County Republican Party Co-Chairman. “If two candidates are there and they both oppose each other, those candidates will draw [a] straw to see who speaks first. All candidates get to speak to the caucus-goers at any caucus location.”

President Trump is sending roughly eighty Republican surrogates to various caucus locations throughout the state to speak on his behalf, despite the minimal campaigning that his challengers have done in the state of Iowa.

The contrast between the Democratic and Republican caucus is stark, and it is just one of the many differences between the two parties. Even in a year with no incumbent, it is likely that the Democratic caucus would be more lively than that of the Republican caucus. Given that it is a year with a Republican candidate in the White House, it is a safe bet that the Republican caucus will be quieter and more secretive than the Democratic caucus.

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IOWA CAUCUS

JOE WALSH P

BY LOGAN EGLESTON

resident Trump is known for a rather atypical style of politics, and there are many outspoken opponents of his political style.

However, some criticize his character more than others.

For Republican 2020 challenger Joe Walsh, the final straw for Trump had been pulled long ago.

“I believe Donald Trump is unfit to be president,” Joe Walsh, 2020 Republican Presidential candidate said in an PHOTO BY KRISTEN CSONTOS exclusive interview Bruin business manager Logan Egleston interviews presidential candidate Joe Walsh on the morning of the Iowa Caucus. Walsh did not with the Bruin. “He secure any delegates, with President Donald Trump securing all but one, can’t tell the truth, which was won by other Republican candidate Bill Weld. and he can’t put the country’s issues ahead of his own. I think that’s a really scary thing for a president.”

CHALLENGES TRUMP’S FITNESS AS PRESIDENT In 2016, Walsh had actually voted for Trump, despite criticizing his campaign and debate tactics. Walsh stated that his opposition to Trump formed throughout the course of his early presidency.

“The turning point for me was in July of 2018 when he stated in front of the world that he trusted Putin more than his country’s own intelligence,” Walsh said. “That was the biggest act of disloyalty I have seen from a president.”

Despite Walsh’s views of President Trump’s character, Walsh also opposes some of Trump’s policies as well. “[Debt] is the issue that animates me the most. Donald Trump is increasing the debt at a higher rate than Barack Obama did,” said Walsh. “He is putting your [Generation Z] generation in more and more debt.”

Walsh also stated his opposition to the tariffs Trump has put into place, along with his immigration policy, specifically humanity at the border and efficiency of legal immigration.

Walsh has been described as a Libertarian, given his pro-legality stance on marijuana and his pro-love stance on gay marriage, and that his challenging of Trump has put him in a tough position both with the Republican Party and his personal life.

“This [campaign] is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” Walsh said. “I lost my job, I threw my life up in the air, I get threats everyday, people say ugly things about me, so to challenge an incumbent president, you have to really care.”

In addition to Joe Walsh, Bill Weld, Republican governor of Massachusetts, is on the caucus ballot as well. Both candidates have stated that it is a lower likelihood that they can defeat the incumbent President Trump, but that they are challenging on principle.

Regardless of who wins the Republican primary, the outspoken opponents of President Donald Trump are not just Democrats and Independents, but a few Republicans as well.

STUDENT REPUBLICAN’S PERSPECTIVE ON WORKING FOR A DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN

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OPINION BY ANNA WOLFINGER

ith The Bruin working on multiple campaigns at the Iowa Caucus, I, as well as other students, have found themselves needing to support a candidate that they will not necessarily vote for in the November presidential election. I identify as a Republican, and when given the option to work for either the Biden, Sanders or the Iowa GOP campaign, I decided to sign up for Joe Biden’s. Even though I plan on voting Republican in the coming election, I wanted to see the other side of the political spectrum. Many other students shared the same intentions; Two other student Republicans worked with me on the Biden campaign and another left-swung student attended the Iowa GOP campaign.

“It’s difficult being a Republican working on Democratic campaigns because they don’t share the same views as you,” said Emily Brandyberry, Wadsworth High School junior. “It’s a good opportunity to see how the different sides work. I chose Biden because if I had to choose a Democrat, it would be Biden.”

Coming from Wadsworth, a predominately conservative small town, I adopted these views as my own. Staying in Iowa and working on these campaigns has given me and these other students a side to politics that we were not exposed to back at home.

“I really liked that you get that different perspective in politics because coming from a conservative Wadsworth, we talk about the same things we all face the same middleclass problems,” said Wadsworth High School Senior, Kate Messam. “Meeting with people with different life experiences that we haven’t encountered in life is eye-opening.

It’s important to remember to look outside of Wadsworth. There’s a whole nation out there. Democrat or Republican, we all make up the country.”

I found myself conflicted and even questioned signing up for the Biden campaign, as I strongly disagreed with many of the views and ideas brought by Biden representatives and volunteers. Typically, individuals who volunteer for political campaigns are strong to either the right or left. Because I needed to cold call and promote Joe Biden to help the campaign, I had to keep my opinion to myself. I often had to refrain from refuting many ideas about the current status of America and President Trump, but this allowed me to listen and appreciate what other people had to say.

“I had to go along with some issues even though I don’t believe in them, just because I’m working on the campaign,” said Brandyberry. “It helps me see things from the Democratic point of view. I understand where they’re coming from better than I did before.”

Given that I was working on a Democratic campaign, I did not expect people to know that I was a Republican. However, some things that were said were very left-swung and borderline uncivil.

“The downside is that sometimes it does feel disrespectful, even though no one from the campaign knows my political affiliation,” said Messam. “But then there are the other people who take it as they want to unite the country. Hearing that is really refreshing. In 2016, you wouldn’t have heard people say that. There are more benefits than downsides of working with the Democrats.”

Working with these Democrats really gave me the opportunity to see the other side of the presidential election. These students, myself included, realized that people are more than just the labels we associate ourselves with.

“Being a fairly liberal Independent, the volunteers from the Iowa GOP were the nicest people I have ever talked to,” said Seth Smalley, Wadsworth High School senior. “I was going into the campaign expecting to be judged for my beliefs but they were very understanding and even anticipated that not all of the students that came would be die-hard Republicans.”

I am glad that I chose to work on the Biden campaign. Even though I am still firm in my conservative beliefs, my mind has been opened to at least h e a r i n g what people have to say. In politics, Americans have a tendency of going into conversations with the intention of changing the other person’s point of view. I have found myself in this exact situation, talking over someone and thinking of a refutation before they are even done talking. Working on a Democratic campaign has allowed me to listen to what others have to say, accepting it as their opinion. No conversation should start with a motive to change someone.

“Rather than fighting with the Democrats, it was nice to sit down and have a conversation with them and understand their viewpoints and why they believe what they believe,” said Brandyberry.

If I were to go back, I would still choose to work for the Joe Biden campaign. I loved actually sitting down and talking with people about the future of America and our views on policies and other topics. This experience has allowed me to open my mind to the possibilities of other viewpoints, and I urge anyone else to listen to others as well.

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IOWA CAUCUS D E M O C R AT S

BY BRIANNA BECERRA

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he race for the 2020 Democratic nomination has been heating up in Iowa and all across the nation as voters and caucus-goers prepare to fight for their candidate of choice. Out of the original twenty nine candidates that announced their run for the Oval Office, only nine remain. Pete Buttigieg emerges as a top tier contender with a strong showing in the Iowa Caucus.

Thirty eight year old Buttigieg is a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and announced his candidacy in April 2019. He is a graduate of Harvard University as well as a veteran of the Navy, surviving a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. He is also challenging the precedent of the presidency by being the first openly gay Democratic candidate.

Buttigieg’s friends and family have described him as an intelligent, genuine young man with a passion for politics. Close friend and mayor of Dayton, Nan Whaley, has thrown every ounce of her support behind Buttigieg’s campaign. She told a personal story about how he taught himself Hebrew in a week, demonstrating his intelligence level.

“He is the smartest person I’ve ever met,” said Whaley. “He is just so darn smart.”

Buttigieg’s mother-in-law, Sherri Glezman, has been along the ride for the entirety of his campaign. She spoke about how heartwarming it has been to see the support for Buttigieg grow and the outpouring of love that her son, Chasten, has received as well.

“The best thing about it is to see the rest of America fall in love with Chasten and Pete as much as we’ve been in love with them already for years,” said Glezman.

Buttigieg’s campaign has placed an emphasis on values that extend far beyond policy and legislation. Campaign volunteers called the Barnstormers have distributed cards that carry the “Rules of the Road” of his platform: respect, belonging, truth, teamwork, boldness, responsibility, substance, discipline, excellence and joy. These adjectives match up with the words that friends and family have used to described him, confirming the true character of Pete Buttigieg.

His lack of experience in D.C. has caused an uproar of doubt, as some believe that a mayor is incapable of being promoted to the President of the United States. Whaley comes to bat for her friend again, stating that the critics simply do not understand what it takes to be a mayor.

“I think that mayor to president is the best jump,” argued Whaley. “He knows how important community is. His policies are really about giving more support to local communities.”

The policies that Buttigieg has prioritized include equal justice for all, health sector reforms, strengthening the middle class and lessening the effects of climate change. These ideas label him as a moderate Democrat.

His February 2 rally at a local Des Moines high school was filled to max capacity with volunteers and supporters. The energy was unlike any other candidate’s rally, as his most fervent fans had the privilege of standing in the risers behind the stage. They decked themselves from head to toe in “Pete 2020” gear and led chants while frantically waving their signs.

During Buttigieg’s rally, he set aside a time to answer questions from the crowd. Anna Wolfinger, senior, had her question drawn from the fishbowl overflowing with other inquiries from fans. Her question was in regards to his plans to address climate change.

“We need an actual national project to confront climate change,” answered Buttigieg.

“This cannot be a political tug-of-war. This is too important and existential.”

At the conclusion of the rally, some family and friends joined Buttigieg on stage to thank his supporters. Chasten and Pete then made their rounds, greeting and snapping

pictures with fans. Not only was the crowd looking forward to meeting the presidential candidate, but his husband as well.

“I feel like a Jonas Brother,” remarked Chasten Buttigieg while greeting a fan.

While he was meeting supporters, Pete Buttigieg took the time for a quick interview led by Chris Steele, senior. Steele was in awe of the humility of Buttigieg, as he had not expected him to be willing to answer his question about the importance of young voters.

“Here is my outreach and my message to younger generations,” responded Buttigieg.

“The longer you are going to be here, the more stake you have in the choices that are going to be made around climate, around gun violence and around making sure the economy works for us. We have to make sure we are acting now. We are running out of time and we need to build a multi-generation coalition. You need to spread the message and be part of that change.”

As Buttigieg’s support continues to grow, his family’s pride in him and his work grows as well. Sherri Glezman expressed her endless love and admiration for her son-in-law, remarking that he has earned all of the recognition that he has been given.

“To see everybody else follow their kindness, how humble they are, to have everybody else also join in on that bandwagon,” said Glezman. “That’s been the most wonderful thing about it so far.”

The so-called underdog of the 2020 election has proven to have a sturdy base of supporters, as he won a top spot in the first caucus of the election season.

There is no telling where Buttigieg will go from here, but that this monumental ranking gives him a seat as a top contender for the Democratic nomination.

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IOWA CAUCUS

SANDERS PERFORMANCE STRONG IN IOWA

BY CHRIS STEELE

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our years ago, Bernie Sanders surprised many Americans with his political success, and he is beginning to turn heads all over again. The oldest presidential candidate seized the heart of young Iowans.

It is now official that Bernie Sanders has produced a strong showing at the Iowa Caucus and will likely have a great deal of momentum going into the first primary in New Hampshire as a result. At the time of publication, he has the highest number of popular votes in Iowa. This outcome can be chalked up as a success, even though fellow Democrat Pete Buttigieg received the most delegates.

Sanders originally ran for the Democratic nominee in the 2016 election. He eventually fell short to Hillary Clinton, who would go on to lose the presidential election to Donald Trump. Sanders has been affiliated with the Liberty Union, Independent and Democratic political parties since 1971. In 2016, Sanders ran for president on the Democratic ticket and found a great deal of success. He left the party but returned in 2019 to announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has been a U.S. Senator for Vermont since 2006, remaining in office regardless of his political affiliation.

In 2016, Sanders ran on a platform of policies that would later become mainstream within the Democratic party.

The policies of Medicare for all, an increase to a 15 dollar minimum wage and free tuition have always been in his bank of political priorities.

Many members of the Democratic party have taken these policies and expanded upon them. A trait that can be seen in Sanders is his unwavering dedication to his platform, as he continues to emphasize the same policies in his bid for the 2020 election.

For many of his supporters, they believe

ON THE RISE

BY BRIANNA BECERRA

n the competition for the 2020 Democratic nomination, an uncommonly high number of women have risen as contenders. Among these women, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has made the largest waves, securing third place in the Iowa Caucus. She benefited from an unexpected surge of popularity, as she was not projected to receive as many votes as she did.

Warren surpassed Joe Biden by a wide margin, as she won 10,000 more final votes than the former Vice President. Her overall vote count increased from the first vote to the final vote, which is a sign of a highly viable candidate. Others that ranked below Warren cannot boast the same results, as their final vote was drastically lower than the first.

This miniature victory for Warren in Iowa allows her to continue her fight for the Democratic nomination. It is too early to count her out altogether, as her support is thriving in Minnesota and Massachusetts as she leads the polls.

Even if Warren did not come out as the top dog, she exceeded expectations in the Iowa Caucus. The race is not over for her, as many primaries and a few caucuses remain before the Democratic Convention in July, giving her the time to rise further in popularity.

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THE SHOCK OF BIDEN

n the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucus, Democrat and former Vice President Joe Biden was predicted to land a spot within the top two. The actual results of the caucus told a very different story, as Biden took home fourth place. He suffered from an unexpected fall in popularity, just barely polling in above fellow moderate Democrat Amy Klobuchar.

This downturn was both aggressive and shocking, as Pete Buttigieg, an Iowa Caucus victor, won almost twice as many final votes as Biden. In many caucuses across the state, he became non-viable in the first round, causing his supporters to either abandon the caucus or vote for a different candidate.

These losses took a toll on his final numbers.

Though the Iowa Caucus did not go in his favor, Biden is projected to succeed in other states such as South Carolina, Nevada, Alabama, Maine and Texas.

Biden may not have taken home an Iowa Caucus victory, but this does not count him out of the race. He has enough money and endorsements to continue to fuel his campaign in an attempt to take back his spot as a top contender in the nation.

ON T H E FA L L

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THE WARREN MOVEMENT

that it is time for Sanders to become the nominee, as they have faith in his ability to beat Republican incumbent Donald Trump. They acknowledge that his success in Iowa is no guarantee that he will secure the spot as the nominee for the 2020 bid against President Trump.

“We know that when we fight today to get Bernie Sanders to be our president, that fight doesn’t end there,” said Representative Ilhan Omar at a Bernie Sanders Rally in Cedar Rapids on February 1, 2020. “We have to make sure that we continue our mobilization in order to be able to implement many of the policies that [are] going to get us that better America.”

A priority of his campaign has been to remove President Trump from the Oval Office. Sanders has this in common with all Democratic candidates who are up for the nomination, but his plans for the country expand further past the goal of turning Washington D.C. blue again.

“I only want someone to win the Democratic nomination if they can beat Donald Trump in the election,” said 22 year old Ohio native, Maya Cox. “I know that Joe [Biden] has been in office before, but Bernie is talking about how he will beat Trump and what he’s going to do after he wins the White House. Joe has mostly been talking about just beating Trump, that’s fine but I still want someone who is going to make change in there, not just win.”

Sanders has been able to rack up supporters based off of the appeal of his platform, as it mainly targets young people. The promise of free college and higher wages lures them in, making the base of his support largely those who fall in Gen Z or Millennial. Though some of his views have been considered to be socialistic or radical, he is still making waves in the pool of younger voters.

“Coming out of high school, I decided I was going to attend the University of Pittsburgh. Tuition was so high and my student loan interest was so steep that at the end of graduation, there was no way I was going to be able to pay it all off. I decided it was best to just drop out and work at home instead,” said Johnathan Kauffman of Pennsylvania. “I’m supporting Bernie because he is going to erase all my debt and going to give people like me who can’t afford college [a chance] to go back and finish their degrees without going broke.”

Though the attention of the younger voters has greatly benefited Sanders and his campaign, it has proven to be difficult to receive the support of older or moderate Democrats. The promise of free college does not affect the older voters as much as the young, and the moderates are turned off by the radical nature of his platform. The divide within the Democratic party between progressives and moderates could potentially hurt his run for the presidency, as moderates do not align with his views.

It is apparent that Senator Sanders was a strong candidate in Iowa for the Democratic Caucus and with the immense amount of support from his friends, family and voters, he will continue to look forward to the rest of his campaign. He will continue to fight for the Democratic nomination and potentially for the office of president.

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IOWA CAUCUS

POLITICS THROUGH THE AGES

GENERATION Z VOICES VALUED IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION “If the economy tanks, our workforce tanks,” said Anita Sarkisian, 11, of Newbury High School, supporter of Donald Trump.

Aside from campaign work, students took a stance on who they felt could eneration Z voters have caught the attention of many campaigns for lead our country in the best way. the 2020 presidential election. This generation of voters have formed ideas “It is important to sustain a capitalistic way of running things,” said of what is most valued in the upcoming election. Students from Wadsworth, Sarkisian. She shared that she is hopeful for Donald Trump to begin his Lordstown and Newbury High School have claimed their stance on issues and second term in office. candidates.

The majority of students who took part in the questionnaire said they The young demographic is difficult to reach but campaigns such as Sanders PHOTO BY MARTI GIBSON would vote for Donald and Biden have made it a Trump if they were asked priority to gain their vote. to vote today; 74 out of 174 “We are inheriting this voted for Republican Trump. country,” said Marcus Hoekstra, Though the Republican party a member of Joe Biden’s is mostly unified in support campaign. of Trump, the other 100 Generation Z has deemed voters preferred scattered many policies important when Democratic candidates such determining ideal candidates as Sanders, Buttigieg and including climate change, Biden. Many students felt college tuition, the economy that they resonated with and gun control. Environmental Trump’s leadership style and issues polled as the number found common ground on his one issue based on our survey policies. from 174 students ranging from “I believe that Trump different grades and towns. has the best intentions for “Climate change is real and if our country and its future,” it’s not addressed it will kill the said Jeny Dabek,11, from planet,” said Jess Hess, 12, of Newbury High School.

Lordstown High School.

Most of the students from Hess also stated that she all three schools had the most would vote for Sanders if asked Generation Z students packed into the Joe Biden campaign to make cold calls and go door to door unified vote for Trump with a to vote today. Voters aspire to solve promoting Biden. These students were given the opportunity to meet and speech with former Florida total of 40 percent of votes.

Senator, Bill Nelson. this global issue so a candidate that Aside from the economy, offers a solution has been popular students showed an interest in gun control. This is a very pressing issue for with Gen Z students. many teens today as school shootings have become more eminent over the Another popular policy with young voters is college tuition cost. Due to the past few years. majority of high school students pursuing higher education after graduation, “The threat of gun violence is prominently on my mind,” said Mackenna affordable universities are important to this generation. With an 8% college Lago, 11, of Lordstown High School and Sanders supporter. inflation rate, tuition doubles every nine years which is concerning to students Gun control can be expected to be a crucial issue for Gen Z voters in 2020. who seek a college degree and plan on graduating with little to no debt at the For the majority of Generation Z, this will be their first time voting. end of their college careers.

Campaigns have worked in an attempt to gain young voters attention.

“Being college-bound, I fear the extreme debt,” said Axel Mueller, 11, of Joe Biden’s campaign is attempting to incorporate a broad age range of Wadsworth High School. As debt challenges students, the economy has crept supporters by cold calling and going door to door to influence voters. into the minds of many new voters this election. Many new voters will be “We do a lot of work locally visiting college campuses,” said Sarah Sherman, affected by economic changes even after college and into their adulthood and a volunteer on Joe Biden’s campaign in her early twenties. “There is a lot of career paths. work on social media targeting our generation.”

“What I find most important about him [Bernie Sanders] is his want for A majority of the students taking part in the survey stated that they get free or reduced college tuition. Healthcare is a human right and it is very most news information through social media such as Instagram, Twitter and important to me that he values that,” said Jillian Batham, college student at Facebook. Reaching voters online is the easiest way for candidates to resonate The University of Akron. with younger generations.

College debt and the economy have been marked as important for many All campaigns emphasized ways that Generation Z is being valued as a students, the economy will be a main factor in their voting decisions. voting class. Many candidates have formed policies that gain support from “Economy is the thing that keeps the country running,” said Madisen young voters and increase involvement in the 2020 election.

Millward, 11, of Newbury High School and supporter of Joe Biden. “It is All of the policies put into place by elected officials are beginning to affect most important to me.” our generation, in turn, we have established what we value in the next president As our generation becomes more independent, the economy has become of the United States of America. more important to voters.

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BY HALLE SHAEFFER

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IOWA CAUCUS VS

BOOMERS ZOOMERS W H O I S T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N ’ S LEADER?

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BY CHRIS STEELE

strange phenomenon appears to be emerging within the 2020 Presidential Democratic field. Two of the front runners are Bernie Sanders, the oldest candidate, and Pete Buttigieg, the youngest candidate. These candidates are several decades apart in age and it seems that their supporters are as well but not in the way many would think. Sanders seems to appeal most to the youngest voters while Buttigieg draws the most appeal from the older group of voters.

The main platform of Bernie Sanders’ campaign is a socialist view including free Medicare and college for all. Pete Buttigieg considers himself to have a more centralist platform. For many younger people, like 21 year old resident of Arnold, Pennsylvania Johnathan Kauffman, the ideals of the Sanders Campaign is hitting very close to home.

“Coming out of high school I decided I was going to attend the University of Pittsburgh and tuition was so high and my student loan interest was so steep that at the end of graduation there was no way I was going to be able to pay it all off. I decided it was best to just drop out and work at home instead,” said Kauffman. “I’m supporting Bernie because he is going to erase all my debt and going to give people like me who can’t afford college to go back and finish their degrees without going broke.”

Although many older liberals agree on most of Sanders’ policies, they identify with the action plan that Mayor Buttigieg has in mind for issues like health care.

Buttigieg also differs with Sanders on the fact that instead of providing Medicare for all regardless, Buttigieg plans to give Medicare to all who want it to allow some of the private insurance companies to allow room for improvement and competition.

“I do like the ideas of Medicare and free college for all, I just struggle with the idea of where all this money is going to come from when our country already has such a deep debt and that I have to take Medicare without a choice,” according to 69 year old Jan Gouch. “I like the fact that Pete is erasing only some debt versus Bernie’s idea of spending erratic amounts of money to provide free college to all. I also like the fact that Pete is giving private companies a chance to improve and let people choose who

PHOTO BY AXEL MUELLER

Older generations gather at the Pete Buttigieg rally. Many participants tended to be older than Bernie Sanders supporters.

they want to be insured under.”

To members of the Buttigieg campaign, it appears obvious that they need more support from the younger voters if they want to have any success in this race. This especially resides with Buttigieg himself.

“My outreach to the younger generations is that it’s the longer you’re going to be here, the more you have at stake and choices you have to make about climate, gun violence, making sure the economy works for us and much more. We have to make sure we take action now because we’re running out of time,” said the former South Bend, Indiana mayor and democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg in an exclusive interview with The Wadsworth Bruin after his rally on February 2nd at Lincoln High School. “I’m ready to build a multigenerational coalition to get those things done and I’m eager for people, some not even old enough to vote yet, but certainly old enough to volunteer and spread the message to be apart of delivering that change.

A tendency we continue to witness in the support of these candidates is that younger people also are favoring Bernie Sanders due in large to the experience that he possesses in American politics.

“I only want someone to win the democratic nomination if they can beat Donald Trump in the election,” said 22 year old Lancaster, Ohio native, Maya Cox. “I know that Joe has been in office before, but Bernie is talking about how he will beat Trump and what he’s going to do after he wins the White House. Joe has mostly been talking about just beating Trump, that’s fine but I still want someone who is going to make change in there, not just win.”

A problem that many people in the older generation have with Sanders at age 78 is that he is very old compared to the youngest potential president, Pete Buttigieg at age 38.

“I was a Bernie supporter in 2016 because I agree with a lot of his ideas. Now I think Bernie is too old to run versus back in 2016,” said 65 year old Kathleen Kaminski. “I’m worried that if we do elect Bernie there is that chance that he may die in office. I’d rather have the person I elected to be the president, not his VP.” Although they are rooting for different candidates to win the nominee, the pattern across all ages of the democratic party is to elect a democrat into the White House and not allow President Trump to be re-elected.

PHOTO BY ERIC HEFFINGER

Students gather at the Bernie Sanders campaign office. Younger generations tend to gravitate towards Sanders’ policies.

IOWA CAUCUS

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P I C T U R E PAG E

These pictures were taken at the Bruin’s 2020 trip to the Iowa Caucus. Students rode on a bus for 12 hours, attended rallies, and helped with campaigns. Read all our stories about the trip on WadsworthBruin.com

PAGE BY ABBY WICHTERMAN AND SARAH SCOBEE