The 2024 Election

The 2024 election utilized Temple University as a way to campaign to voters.

The 2024 election became the topic of many conversations due to its contentious circumstances, and Temple University’s campus was no different, turning into a hotspot for campaigning in Philadelphia. 

From rallies at the Liacouras Center to celebrities campaigning on Polett Walk, the election became impossible to miss, filling Broad Street with political tokens and memorabilia.

Students on Temple’s campus were no strangers to political involvement. Joining the charge were organizations like Temple Democrats, Temple Republicans and Project 26 Pennsylvania, ensuring that students were registered to vote when election season rolled around. 

This election also fostered a different environment between the political candidates selected for both parties. For the Democratic Party, the U.S. witnessed the withdrawal of the major candidate and president at the time, Joe Biden, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris to fill in the gaps. The Republican Party handed the nomination to former president Donald Trump Jr.

Michael Hagen, a professor of political science, provided insight into how the unexpected candidates changed the stakes of the election entirely. Never in history has the U.S. seen a presidential race with two incumbents, evoking an unprecedented reaction from the public. 

“It’s a race between two incumbents which is an odd circumstance,” said Hagen. “In all respects the rhetoric is unlike anything that we have heard before.”

The timeline for Temple University’s political involvement started in the summer when both Harris and Trump held their respective rallies in the Liacouras Center. From these rallies, political events continued popping up on campus, using creative messaging to engage the students. Some featured celebrity faces on campus included Paul Rudd, Chrissy Teigen, Bruce Springsteen and Jack Schlossberg. 

Both candidates seemed to push particularly hard on Temple’s campus, and not without reason.

Professor Hagen believes both candidates made efforts to engage younger voters like students on college campuses because of the severity of this election in particular. 

“The race is extremely close so everyone’s participation should make a difference,” said Hagen. “The two outcomes would lead us as a nation in very different directions.”

The election held high stakes for many different reasons for students on campus. With Trump assuming the presidency in January, certain students have quoted different issues as points of concern for the upcoming presidential reign. 

For sophomore journalism major Gloria Chuma, immigration is something that directly affects her family, casting uncertainty for the next four years. 

“I have a lot of family members that are currently in the immigration court system,” said Chuma. “It’s definitely something scary as the process is not getting easier and it’s not looking good at all.”

From sophomore film and political science major Elliot Schriver’s point of view, having another Trump presidency means the environment might be placed in a dangerous scenario.

“I’m especially nervous about his approach to climate change,” said Schriver. “We have been in crunch time for a while and evidently during his last presidency climate change was not a pressing issue for the White House.”

Looking back at Trump’s first presidency, the American public witnessed the changing of governmental representatives with different members of the Supreme Court being elected. In the next four years, the Republican Party will have control of the House, Senate and Supreme Court, leaving junior political science major James Currie to wonder how American legislation will be impacted. 

“An issue for me would be him trying to institute prayer in schools, which he might be able to do with a more compliant Supreme Court,” said Currie. “Now that the Republican government has more control over the government than they did at the beginning of his first term, he might have an easier time.”

Now that the political season has come to an end, Trump has been re-elected as the next president of the United States. From students campaigning, speaking and working the polls, Temple University played a vital role in Philadelphia’s contribution to the election. Because of the unique nature of the candidate selection, America witnessed unmatched intensity through campaigns and votes. The 2024 election will certainly be remembered due to its unlikely set of circumstances.