On Sept. 29, 2024, the Lower Merion & Narberth Democrats hosted a multitude of candidates to endorse Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, alongside talking about the importance of the national and local elections, which are taking place in less than 40 days.
Big political names such as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Representative and Candidate for Auditor General Malcolm Kenyatta (D-PA) and more all stood in front of a large crowd of voters encouraging them to fight for democracy, vote blue, and spread the messages of the Harris campaign to their communities.
For many Villanovans, this is the first presidential election that they will be able to go to the polls and cast their vote. Additionally, an abundance of students will be voting in Pennsylvania, one of the biggest swing states in the nation, instead of their home states. With this, Villanova students are included in the communities being impacted by the local elections, as well as the race for the presidency.
When asked by The Villanovan what her hope for students voting in their first presidential election in a swing state will know before casting their ballot, Warren delivered her response.
“I hope students will pay attention to who fights for them,” she said. “Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and I have been on the front lines trying to cancel out student loan debt, trying to get more money into education so that they will have opportunities…these are the things that help people build a future economically and that is students: this is how they build a future.”
The event began with Narberth Mayor Andrea Deutsch sharing why, as a Type One diabetic, she supports Harris’ campaign and fight for healthcare rights in America.
“For me, one of the biggest issues is health care, and protecting the rights of people with preexisting conditions,” Deutsch said. “I invite you to find the passion, the one issue that speaks to you, talk about this issue which means that much to you.”
In addition to health care, one of the most critical messages the politicians were pushing was the importance of the individual vote. Representive-turned-Candidate for Auditor General Kenyatta gave his first-hand testimony to this regard. Kenyatta is the first openly LGBTQIA+ individual of color to serve in the PA general assembly, as well as one of the youngest members in the history of the Commonwealth.
“When I ran for State Representative the first time, a number of years ago, I was in a primary with a lot of people,” Kenyatta said. “A couple of days before the election, they put these homophobic flyers about me all around the district. The day after the election – spoiler alert, I won – I see one of my neighbors and we catch eye-contact, she said, ‘Malcolm, you know people put these awful flyers up about you…and I am only telling you about it because we were so upset, it got three more people to go out and vote that said they were not going to vote’… I ended up winning our ward on election night by one vote. It is a constant reminder to me of what is at stake and the power that you have to not just read about history in a book or a newspaper, but you get to shape it.”
