President Joe Biden will take on former president Donald Trump in this year’s general election in a repeat of 2020.
On March 6, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race after a lackluster performance during Super Tuesday. Haley only won the District of Columbia and Vermont while Trump won the other 15 states as well as American Samoa.
While Biden also swept the Democratic nomination, neither candidate seems to be favored by younger voters, with many voting “uncommitted” on Super Tuesday.
“I think we are on track for a second Trump term,” junior Baxter Flynn said.
Flynn described himself as an independent voter.
“Biden has pissed off so many people with things like the fact that he’s supporting a genocide overseas, and Trump’s base is just too loyal to him,” Flynn said.
Flynn was referring to the Israel-Hamas War, which some have labeled a genocide.
Flynn said he isn’t sure who he’ll vote for yet, but if he chooses one of the main party candidates, he won’t be happy either way.
“It is kind of scary that these are our two options to lead the country,” junior Tyler Strachan said.
Strachan, a registered Democrat, described the upcoming election as “frustrating.” She said she is scared to see Trump have as much support as he does but also doesn’t support Biden.
“I was under the impression [Biden] would be more of a one-term president, someone to be a buffer and help clean up the mess Trump’s administration caused,” Strachan said. “I was hoping then someone else would come along. I was very disappointed to hear he was running again, because I don’t think he’s uplifting younger voters.”
Strachan said she has no idea how the election will go, considering millennials and Gen Z make up a large portion of the voter base and many of them do not support either candidate. She also emphasized how Biden got a lot done earlier in his term but recently has been “slacking off.”
She said she will probably still vote for Biden, but it won’t be an enthusiastic vote.
“I really wish there were more viable third-party options, but realistically, we live in a two-party system,” Strachan said. “I feel if I voted third-party, I’d be throwing my vote away. Even though I really don’t like [Biden] that much, he is a better alternative to Trump.”
In a poll conducted by The Times-Delphic, 36 random students around Drake’s campus were asked about their thoughts on the election. Of those 36, 20 identified as Democrats or politically left-leaning. Of those 20, five said they fully supported Biden; six said they did not like Biden but would reluctantly vote for him; two said they planned to vote third-party; and seven said they weren’t sure who they would vote for yet.
Of the 16 Republicans or right-leaning voters, two said they fully supported Trump; one said they did not like Trump but still planned to vote for him; three said they would reluctantly vote for Biden; and 10 said they weren’t sure who they would vote for yet.
“I think in reality a lot more people fall in the middle politically than we realize,” said sophomore Chloe Lepak. Lepak serves as the Community Engagement Senator in the Student Senate.
She believes the loudest voices people hear are the extremes on both ends of the political spectrum, while the vast majority are quieter and fall more moderate.
“This will be my first presidential election I will be able to vote in, and I really wish it wasn’t the way that it was,” Lepak said. “A lot of people are unhappy with both candidates, especially [the younger] generations. I’m personally not comfortable voting for either [candidate].”
Flynn believes a lot of voters, especially younger ones, are going to refuse to vote this year, which may leave the election up to older generations. Lepak hopes that isn’t the case.
“Everyone should still do their civic duty and vote,” Lepak said. “The worst thing you can do is not vote.”
The 2024 presidential election will be held on Nov. 5.
