A senator, an actor and the sister of the Vice President walk into a University ...
They're here for the Harris-Walz campaign.
This month, the Sun Devils for Harris organization scheduled events with Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, actor Ted Danson, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, former United States Assistant Attorney General Tony West, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost. In doing so, the campaign has attempted to mobilize student votes with their big-name supporters.
Rep. Maxwell Frost and Rep. Robert Garcia
Frost and Rep. Robert Garcia of California joined students on Oct. 28 to speak on young voters, the climate and housing.
"Kamala Harris has a plan to solve the housing crisis, and Donald Trump doesn't have a plan," Frost said. "His housing plan is saying no to her plan. That's not a plan."
After their speeches, Frost and Garcia said the college vote is important because politicians have discounted the vote in the past. Garcia said his work on a college campus 10 years before his career in Congress showed him the issues students care about most — health care and financial support for higher education.
"Vice President Harris has a plan to help students and to help young people, and I think I'm always motivated by my own students, many of whom I still talk to," Garcia said. "Whenever I go on a college campus, I'm reminded of all this, all the students that I met have had, and how much support they need."
Frost said appearing on campus doesn't guarantee the student vote, but it is necessary to canvass and work for the vote. He went to Fat Tuesday later that night for a "Ballot Bash".
According to a 2020 CNN exit poll, 65% of respondents aged 18-24 voted for Biden. Frost said he hopes to see a similar Democratic turnout this election to the previous election cycle.
"We have to work for it to happen again, and that's why Robert (Garcia) and I are here today, and we're doing everything we can to get the votes," Frost said.
Maya Harris
Maya Harris, the sister of the Vice President, visited the Tempe campus on Oct. 25, where she took pictures with students near Hayden Library.
Ava Spears, a freshman studying architecture, said her and her sister noticed it was Maya Harris as they were walking past and went over to get a picture with the senior policy adviser.
"We were walking by, we heard the news and we decided to stay because my mom loves Kamala," Spears said. "We love Kamala. We both voted for her early."
Spears also said that it can be annoying to have political figures appear on campus during election season, but said the message they are trying to get across is important and worth the visit.
READ MORE: The State Press sits down with Maya Harris, the sister of Vice President Kamala Harris
Beto O'Rourke and Tony West
On Oct. 23, O'Rourke and West visited students at a Sun Devils for Harris pop-up tent on the Tempe campus. They were joined by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., and Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz.
All four politicians took turns speaking with an audience of students, where they discussed issues that were important to young voters as well as the significance of ASU voters in this election.
"When we get the voter turnout where it needs to be, among the student population and young people, young professionals — that's how we're going to win this race," Stanton said.
Underwood spoke on housing costs, student debt relief, gun violence, climate change and health care. She said health is an especially important issue to her, as she is also a registered nurse.
West, who is an adviser for the Harris-Walz campaign, leaned into his support of Harris through the perspective of being her brother-in-law. He also discussed the historical significance of young voters and this election, particularly in a battleground state like Arizona.
"The history of our country tells us that the people who are at the forefront of winning that freedom in every generation — they're young people," West said. "They’re people like you."
O'Rourke was the final speaker. With a little less than two weeks until Election Day, he said that though voting is important, it is not enough. Students should, in addition to voting themselves, encourage their friends and family to do the same.
"History is calling," O'Rourke said. "We've got to come through."
Ted Danson and Jennifer Granholm
On Oct. 21 at 11 a.m., Danson, best known for his roles in "The Good Place" and "Cheers," joined Emma Brown, the Executive Director of GIFFORDS, Tiffany Muller, the president of End Citizens United, and Granholm at Tempe in front of the Sun Devil Campus Store.
Danson discussed housing, tuition, LBGTQ+ rights and climate change.
"All of those things are massively important, so you need somebody who's capable of dealing with all of the above," he said.
Danson talked mostly about climate change, which is also a subject especially important to Granholm.
Amaya Cummings, a sophomore studying computer science, had the chance to speak to Granholm. She said that the Secretary supported Harris because "from what she can see, (Harris) actually cares about the people and their values, just the same as I do."
Brown also discussed gun violence issues and the hopelessness that some people may feel when advocating for gun safety.
"Often we'll run into people just feeling like there's nothing that can be done, and that's not actually true," Brown said. "There's a lot that can be done and she (Harris) is the only one who's going to do something about it and already has."
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware
Coons arrived in Tempe on Oct. 17 and met with students from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. to speak on mail-in ballots. He spoke with the State Press before his appearance, where he talked about why the college vote is so influential.
WATCH: Sit down with Sen. Chris Coons
"It's got a lot of electoral votes and I'm at Arizona State University because the student vote is particularly important if we have any hope of winning," Coons told the State Press. "What's on the line for students this election? Your future, whether or not college is affordable, whether or not we combat climate change, whether or not we have an economy of opportunity, whether or not we win the 21st century."
Edited by Alysa Horton, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporters at pkfung@asu.edu and geheadle@asu.edu, and follow @FungPippa and @George_Headley7 on X.
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Pippa is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication with minors in political science and German. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio and the Los Alamos National Lab.
George is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked at Times Media Group.
