Ahead of Primaries, Students Rally Behind Presidential Hopefuls

Even before the two major parties have selected their nominees, Harvard students are already organizing debates, calling voters, and attending conventions to support their choice candidates in the next U.S. presidential election.

With just more than four months to go before the start of the 2016 presidential primary elections, College students from both sides of the aisle are hard at work on campaigns.

Both the Harvard College Democrats and the Harvard Republican Club are waiting until after the primaries to endorse a candidate in the race officially. Individual students, though, have formed groups in support of specific presidential hopefuls, from establishment candidates such as former Secretary of State and Democrat Hillary R. Clinton to Marco Rubio, a Republican U.S. senator from Florida.

Matthew G. Moore ’19 participates in a phone bank organized by Harvard for Hillary Wednesday evening in Sever Hall. Moore and other student campaigners were calling Boston residents in an attempt to garner participants for a “family fun” fundraiser hosted by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. By Lauren A. Sierra

A group of campus Clinton backers, called Harvard for Hillary, organized a trip last Saturday to New Hampshire to watch Clinton speak at the state's Democratic Convention. Nikitha Reddy ’19 called it “such a unique experience.”

Clinton is the current favorite to win the Democratic Party's nomination, but Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is increasingly popular among young people across the country, and Harvard is no exception: He has attracted a strong following on campus.

“Many people feel as though their interests are much better represented by Bernie than by any other candidate,” said Noah R. Wagner ’18, a member of Harvard United for Bernie, a group of Sanders supporters.

Clinton and Sanders supporters will square off Thursday evening at a debate hosted by the Harvard Political Union. The event's stated goal is to “expose students to different arguments between supporters of the different candidates,” according to Jeff R. Metzger ’17, the group's co-chair.

“We want to get a discussion going about the primaries,” Metzger said.

Meanwhile, the Harvard Republican Club plans to host debate watch parties and help get students involved in campaigns they support. Even with more than a dozen declared GOP presidential hopefuls comprising a crowded field, most candidates have supporters on campus, eager to participate in the campaign.

“We have people that support Rand all the way, to people who like John Kasich,” Republican Club President Aaron I. Henricks ’16 said.

Organizations like Harvard Students for Jeb and Harvard Students for Rubio have cropped up to support their candidate of choice. It remains unclear if business mogul Donald J. Trump, a controversial candidate who has performed well in the polls, has the same support. He stole the spotlight at the last debate, drawing laughter and dismay from student observers.

“I don’t know anyone who supports Trump in the Republican Club,” Henricks said, “but they might be out there.”