Candidate Breakdown

by Gabrielle dosdos and heba akhdar | sept. 24, 2024 | The fall Supplemental

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (SCPDA) — With the upcoming presidential election, some young voters are confident about which candidate to support, while others are unsure. Because voting introduces important social responsibilities, American citizens want to be well-informed to make an appropriate choice of which candidate or party they vote for. This election year, there are four candidates whom voters can choose from, each with their own different policies and goals. Although most students at Stanton College Preparatory School cannot vote, the Devil’s Advocate, Stanton’s student-run newspaper, hosts a Mock Election during every presidential election year allowing students to vote for the candidate they support. By election day, the candidate with the most votes is revealed as Stanton’s decision for president of the United States.

As the November 2024 election day approaches, a primary focus for students is the validity of the information they receive. With the rise of misleading information from various media outlets, audiences can develop false impressions about candidates. This is especially true as some political viewpoints of candidates are specifically emphasized to cause heightened reactions.

“Political reels are misinterpreted a lot,” said senior Devyani Jain. “People make lots of false assumptions about both Republican and Democratic Parties.”

According to The New York Times, although there were originally 23 presidential candidates, only four remain in the race. Former President Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s nominee and is running for his second term. The son of millionaire and real estate businessman Fred Trump Sr., the former president took over his father’s real estate company in 1971, renaming it the Trump Organization. He utilized the success of the company to fund his campaigns and formally entered the 2016 presidential race in June 2015 against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump was elected president in 2016 and left office in 2020 after losing to President Joe Biden. According to the Pew Research Center, Trump will be the first president running for two nonconsecutive terms in more than a century. Supporters of Trump cite his tax policies as a vital reason for voting for him.

“I would vote for Trump mainly [because of his] lower taxes,” said sophomore Aditya Abraham Thomas. “Even though [Kamala] Harris says she will lower them, [she] will not.”

 During his presidency, Trump oversaw major tax reforms and the renegotiation of trade agreements with foreign nations such as Canada and Mexico, which restored manufacturing jobs and increased American agricultural exports. According to his campaign, his office reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, resulting in more than $5.5 trillion in tax cuts. He was later impeached by the House of Representatives in 2019 on alleged charges of abuse of power but was acquitted the following year. In 2020, Trump’s last year in office was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the 2020 election, then President Trump contested the results thus resulting in months of legal challenges.

According to The New York Times, President Trump delivered a speech on Jan. 6, 2021 at the Ellipse, a park in Washington, D.C., and soon after supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as a joint session of Congress met to certify the election results. According to the publication, supporters of the president broke into the Capitol and clashed with Capitol police officers, resulting in the deaths of protestor Ashli Babbit and Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Multiple Capitol Police officers suffered injuries during the incident. According to the Department of Justice, more than 1,200 people were charged for allegedly storming the Capitol.

More recently, former President Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. during his presidential rally. While he suffered an apparent injury to his right ear, one person was killed, and two others were injured in the incident. According to ABC News, although this was a tragic event that could have been prevented, many voters believe this attempt only solidified Trump’s already strong political standing in the eyes of the American public. As a result, his favorability rating increased to 40%, which was his highest rating in the four years the poll has been repeatedly conducted by ABC News.

“I think Donald Trump is a president that is very serious about his commitment to the presidential role for America,” said sophomore Khalil Migarase. “I think he is going to do better than Kamala Harris.”

Former President Donald Trump

Following the first assassination attempt against the former president, another occurred on Sept. 15, 2024, outside his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla.  According to The Washington Post, the suspect allegedly camped 300-500 yards outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach for 12 hours and aimed a rifle in its direction. The attempt was shortly derailed by FBI agents and the Secret Service. According to The Washington Post, supporters of the former president find two assassination attempts in 60 days unacceptable, while some opponents believe both incidents were “staged” to foster more support for his campaign.

President Joe Biden, Trump's former rival, was the Democratic Party's nominee until he dropped out of the race on July 21, 2024. As a result, Vice President Kamala Harris received the Democratic Party's endorsement and ultimately became the party's nominee. Throughout her political career, Vice President Harris has set various political records including becoming the first Indian American senator, the first female South Asian attorney general, and the first Black and Asian American vice president. As vice president, she has overseen initiatives such as the elimination of all lead pipes in the U.S. and the reduction of insulin prices to $35, according to her campaign website. Vice President Harris’ strong involvement in office over the years has made her a favorable candidate for the Democratic Party, raising $81 million for her campaign in just 24 hours on July 22, 2024, according to the Associated Press. However, some students question her capability for social progress since she has already been in office for four years.

“I would vote for Harris, [although] sometimes I question [her policies] since she was vice president while Biden was president,” said junior Gabrielle Peters. “I wonder if she will really go through with things, especially with Roe v. Wade.”

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Harris is also prominent across various social media platforms. Her marketing targets Generation Z trends, including the internet movement surrounding the popular album “BRAT” by Charli XCX. Charli XCX associated Vice President Harris with this trend, which is evident in Vice President Harris’ social media presence. At the outset of her campaign, her team’s X account, @KamalaHQ, featured a banner with a minimalistic lime green background and a lowercase Arial font, similar to the album’s design. The campaign’s direct outreach to younger voters through social media is a new strategy in the 2024 election.

“[I believe] Kamala Harris will win,” said junior Javion Liu. “She [reaches out] to the young people using TikTok; I saw her [on social media] yesterday.”

Although the media has portrayed Vice President Harris as an upbeat political figure, she also advocates to solve serious issues in the United States. Many young voters are focused on education, with communities working to improve critical thinking and reading engagement. According to GLAAD, Vice President Harris strongly opposes banning books. She argues these restrictions threaten reading freely and believes these policies are tied to the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.

“Check out the book bans and—how many of them are against either an LGBTQ+ author or have subject matter that is about LGBTQ+ subjects and people,” said Vice President Harris during her “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour in Arizona. “It is incumbent on us who believe in the strength of diversity and the importance of unity to build coalition.”

One candidate running separately from the Republican and Democratic Parties is Jill Stein. As the Green Party’s nominee, Stein has previously run for president in 2012 and 2016. She is a Harvard-educated doctor and specializes in health and environmental protection. According to her campaign website, her platform centers around putting “a proworker, anti-war, climate action agenda” as her main concern. According to her campaign’s platform, she plans to cut military spending by more than half, end all U.S. involvement in foreign wars, and support the manufacturing of clean, renewable energy. One of her major aims is to establish an Economic Bill of Rights. Her administration promises to raise minimum wage to $25 and is heavily focused on establishing laws that ensure worker rights and representation. Stein’s presence in the 2024 election is being welcomed by young voters.

 “[Jill Stein] seems like a great alternative to Harris and Trump,” said sophomore Omar Saeed. “She promotes peace abroad and has a plan to [improve] America.”

Amongst Stein’s goals is to invest in a Green New Deal which, according to her campaign, would implement universal access to healthcare, food, and education. This initiative would also center around decreasing the risk of climate collapse. One of Stein’s most notable proposals is her plan to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and provide humanitarian aid to people in the region. According to NBC News, her vocal assertion about this matter has led to a reported increase in her polling numbers amongst groups like college students.

“I support Jill Stein because of her foreign affairs policies,” said senior Hazel Gonzalez. “She supports having a ceasefire in Gaza, which is something important [to me].”

Presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein

Currently, Stein is advocating to be placed on the ballot in some states the Green Party does not have access to. To obtain this position, the party must gather thousands of signatures and pay various fees to get Stein to appear on the ballot in states like Georgia and Nevada. Although justices of the Nevada Supreme Court have stated the Green Party’s forms submitted to appear on the ballot were outdated, Stein believes the party was purposefully sent incorrect forms to keep citizens from voting for them.

“We've faced legal attacks from Democrats in state after state,” said Stein in a post on her X account, @DrJillStein. “It’s clear their goal is not only to deny a real choice to voters, but also to tie up our time, money, and resources in fighting these lawfare attacks."

As an independent candidate, Cornel West is an American philosopher and scholar of religion who holds a doctorate in philosophy. He entered the 2024 presidential election hoping to sway voters with his views consisting of “policy pillars” as stated on his official website. These are built upon the principles of “truth, justice, and love.” He aims to advocate for societal justice for various parts of the American community, targeting those who are minorities and in the lower class. According to USA Today, he has received support from Republican operatives in Wisconsin who helped him gather petition signatures to get his name on the ballot.

With his strong endorsements rooted in philosophy, West uses these ideas to develop his campaign. His official website describes how the two-party system dominates the nation and how it is immoral to profit from U.S. citizens for the purpose of garnering money and political power. In his campaign messaging, West argues that running as an independent candidate will allow him to divert from this two-party system and deliver policies that are not entirely conformed to Democratic or Republican morals.

Presidential Candidate Cornel West

“I love that [West] focuses on race, gender, and class struggles,” said senior Dilan Patel. “[They are policies] I can relate to and empathize with.”

Although he has been certified to appear on the ballot in 15 states as of Sept. 16, 2024, his campaign is struggling financially and is polling below 1% on a national level. The success of his campaign will likely depend on how well he can react to the financial problems he is facing and continuing to rally support from voters is a viable path he may take. He has also been experiencing problems regarding his name appearing on state ballots. According to the Associated Press, two state court judges in Georgia have disqualified him from the ballot because of paperwork issues. Although his name will remain on it, any votes cast for West in Georgia will be voided since it is too late to remove him. In Michigan, Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford overruled a decision to block him from their state’s ballot, but in Pennsylvania, he was disqualified. These differences in his appearance on the ballot are caused by legal matters regarding paperwork issues, but after petitions and state considerations, some states have decided to verify his name.

Even though each candidate demonstrates different potential policies and plans, only a few are well known throughout the nation. Through their mainstream coverage in media, former President Trump and Vice President Harris currently overshadow the independent candidates, which affects the type of campaign content students encounter.

“Our two-party system overtakes [third-party candidates],” said junior Aashvi Das. “If you are a Democrat, you are going to see more Democratic [content]. If you are a Republican, you are going to see more Republican [content].”

Some students are unaware of the importance these candidates have in the race. Even though these independent candidates are not expected to win the presidential race, they can still have a major impact on the election. Votes that would have otherwise gone to a Democratic or Republican candidate being directed elsewhere allows for the opposing party to gain the upper hand. According to the Associated Press, this was seen in the 2016 election, when Trump’s victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton may have been caused by some Democratic voters choosing to vote for Stein instead of Clinton.

A few students believe independent candidates should be considered as viable options for the presidency. However, with politics being dominated by the two major political parties, it is difficult for these candidates to receive major consideration from voters. Since presidential elections have historically been won by a member of a major political party, there is a belief that voting for an independent is a futile effort in this seemingly two-party dominated election.

 “In a perfect world, these independent candidates would be more relevant in elections,” said sophomore Kole Fleming. “With the way things are set up right now, it is tough to vote for anyone besides the [main] two and actually think that candidate has any shot at winning the election.”

Although third-party candidates do not receive as much media attention as the major party nominees, some voters still take the initiative to research their platforms. The dominance of the two-party system limits exposure to other viable candidates. Each candidate addresses national concerns with their own perspectives and has developed unique initiatives with different goals and priorities. With Trump being the first former president in more than a century to attempt to reclaim the White House, Harris being the first woman of color to secure her party’s nomination, and growing discontent with both major parties, the election’s outcome will depend on voters understanding the issues and platforms of all candidates.Designed by Features Editor Lindsay Johnson