While the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges have spent much of their energy on voter registration, the Claremont College Republicans have been focusing on helping local Republican candidates’ campaigns.
The club has worked with Donna Lowe, candidate for the California State Assembly; Gil Gonzales, candidate for the California State Senate; and Jack Orswell, who is running to represent California’s 27th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Voter registration forms are available at the club’s watch parties and meetings, but unlike their Democratic counterparts, the College Republicans have not held any events specifically for voter registration.
“I feel like we, the Republicans, engage more with candidates and issues in the area,” said Aidan Fahnestock CM ’14, the College Republicans’ Vice President of Operations. “We’re actually going out to talk to the candidates, like Donna, Jack and Gil, and helping them run their race and get elected.”
Lowe came to the club’s watch party for the final presidential debate. Club members also attend weekly precinct walks during the weekends to support the candidates.
Theo Tsirigotis CM ’14, Vice President of Communications, sends out e-mails to members about upcoming events for the candidates, and the club leaders plug the candidates’ campaigns in club meetings.
“Raising people’s awareness is the key to everything,” Fahnestock said.
Fahnestock said he believes that working directly with a campaign is one of the most important things a voter can do.
“Instead of having rich political consultants in D.C. running campaigns, we have ordinary people, coming back from their day job, hanging up their stuff, then going out and knocking on doors for their candidate,” he said. “I feel that grassroots is the heart and soul of a political campaign.”
The club’s president, Kyle Woods CM ’13, thinks that it is especially important for college students to get involved in political campaigns.
“We’re the future,” Woods said.