Story by Emma Wilson
Getting involved in a political campaign is something every Drake student can achieve during his or her four years at Drake.
Living in Iowa provides endless opportunities for internships with political campaigns, Iowa legislators or even federal legislators.
United States Senate hopeful Mark Whitaker and Iowa House Majority Whip, Representative Chris Hagenow, visited Drake to encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities offered.
Whitaker is running for the Senate seat currently held by Tom Harkin.
Harkin will be retiring in 2014 after serving in the Senate for 24 years.
“We need to send principled conservatives to Washington to make change, and I am ready to do that,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker is running to make change and unite the Republican Party.
Hagenow and Whitaker run a conservative-based law firm in Des Moines and have both been involved in politics from a young age.
They both fully support youth involvement in politics and are concerned about what the future of America might look like if change is not made soon.
“I grew up always just assuming that I would have a bright future, that if I worked hard, I could do anything I wanted,” Hagenow said. “I just worried that my kids don’t have that same outlook on life, won’t have those same opportunities.”
He assured the group he would work to make the changes the country needs to have a brighter future.
College Republican Publicist,Taylor Crow raised concerns about the stigma of being a Republican in college.
“I refuse to believe that all college students are liberals,” Whitaker said. “The Republican Party is based on values and fiscal responsibility, that will never go away.”
Both politicians encouraged students to contact their representatives and extended invitations to participate in their campaigns.
Drake Democrats are holding a similar forum at their meeting Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Olmsted Center, room 133. Their meeting will feature gubernatorial candidate, Senator Jack Hatch, and a representative from the Bruce Braley campaign.
Braley is running for the same seat in the U.S. Senate as Whitaker.
