Temple Students “with Her”

 

In what many are calling a historic election season, Hillary Clinton is now the Democratic nominee for President.

But on college campuses across the country, support for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders — her opponent for so long– ran much deeper.

Saying “I’m with Her”, three Temple students are looking to garner more support for the former Secretary of State. Thomas Caffrey, Jordan Laslett, and Ashton Adams are three students in Clinton’s satellite of support at Temple. They’ve been running the Temple for Hillary campaign. She’s been their number one choice since announcing her intention to run for the oval office in mid April of 2015.

Thomas Caffrey, a junior, heads the student effort.

“I was a huge Hillary supporter and everything about her just kind of throughout my whole life, she’s been a role model and hero to me,” he said.

But Clinton’s road to the general election was not as clear as many thought it would be.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced his intention to run for President April 30, later that month.

While many of their peers supported Sanders, these students said they never thought about “Feeling the Bern.”

“Senator Sanders has great ideas on paper…he’s a great senator, he’s done great things for Vermont,” he said. “However, Hillary actually has a well thought-out action plan to me,” said Jordan Laslett, a freshman member of the Temple for Hillary campaign.

“Bernie has gained incredible ground — ground that I didn’t think he was going to gain,” said Ashton Adams, junior, in charge of the effort’s social media platform.”

She says her support of Hillary comes from Clinton’s track record — not because she’s a woman.“I think she is the most qualified candidate on either side,” she said.

For Caffrey, Clinton is the candidate who get things done while in office.

“Someone put it best, whereas Bernie Sanders is the advocate who sets the bar and kind of says what needs to get done, and then Hillary is the one who comes in and then gets it done,” he said.

Most of all, they’re excited to see political history unfold up-close this summer as the first major female candidate for president takes center stage in Philadelphia.

Laslett knows these opportunities don’t come often. “There’s nothing more satisfying than taking the stuff you learn in college…and seeing it be applied in the real world and watching it come together, and saying ‘oh, wow, that theory I learned about, that idea, is coming together right before my eyes.’”