Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy attended a "Sun Devils Vote" event at Devil's Advocate in Tempe on Oct. 24.
The two spread their message of getting out the vote for Republican candidates to a crowd of students, who said Lake's diligent campaigning on campus makes her more approachable to young voters.
"At every turn, she's so willing and so open to doing these types of things," said Carson Carpenter, a senior studying political science and president of the College Republicans at Arizona State University. "It just shows the type of candidate she is and who she wants to represent in the Senate."
The benefits of Lake's rigorous campaigning among college-aged students was further discussed by another student in attendance, Afonso Machado, a freshman studying political science.
"Seeing how active she is with the younger generation speaks volumes to why people should vote for her because it shows that she's not just appealing to those typical voters that go out every time," Machado said.
Even for students who had not previously seen Lake at events near campus, her most recent appearance made a strong first impression.
"The first experience I had with her, she shook my hand, she gave me the time of day and she took a picture with me, which I really appreciated," said Avery Toft, a freshman studying philosophy in morality, politics and law.
Toft went on to explain that the in-person interactions with Lake made it "easier to see her as a person," whereas most political candidates are only seen behind screens or on ballots.
In Lake's speech, she covered youth voting, political confidence and the importance of promoting conservative ideals to University students.
"We have a massive group of Americans who are ready to vote for our country ... but we have to get out and vote," Lake said. "I need you to vote early."
Beyond this, Lake also emphasized a sense of unity, attempting to draw a connection among individuals from all political parties.
"I've been around for 55 years. I've never seen our country more united — Democrats, Republicans and Independents are united to save our country," Lake said.
In her opinion, unity is attainable through the Republican vote for former President Donald Trump.
"I want you to think of your biggest dream, and then I want you to think 10 times bigger than that," Lake said. "That is what is available to you when you get out and vote for Donald Trump. We are going to save our country. We're going to get that man in the White House."
While Lake had a pre-established foothold at ASU before this event, her preceding speaker, Vivek Ramaswamy has not made appearances on campus, making this his first impression to the student body.
Machado said this allowed students to interact with an individual they've only seen in the media.
For some, Ramaswamy had a great deal to prove, given his limited time in the public eye of politics.
"He hasn't really proven himself as a candidate, but he has been a very good speaker, and I appreciate that," said Zachary Cejka, a junior studying political science. "I want to hear more of it."
For students like Carpenter – who introduced Ramaswamy on stage – the former candidate's energy and presence were ideal for getting votes from Generation Z.
"I think he represents Gen Z very well, and he represents the energy that this movement has to make America great again, but also (to) keep it great," Carpenter said.
Ramaswamy did not disappoint on these hopes, as he was quick to ignite energy into the crowd and bolster the Gen Z voting block.
"As conservatives, let me tell you this November 5 that's coming up, that is not the destination," Ramaswamy said. "That is the start line. That is the start line for our own new agenda that we're taking."
While Lake and Ramaswamy were the headlining speakers for the night, they were joined beforehand by a slew of Republican candidates running for local office, all capitalizing on the Gen Z presence.
"All of you have a bright American dream ahead of you, but the only way that happens is if we stand up and if we show up and make sure we're voting for our best interest," said Kelly Cooper, an Arizona Congressional candidate who spoke early in the event.
Edited by George Headley, Abigail Beck and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at sluba@asu.edu and follow @samluba6 on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
