Endorsement of Tara Bansal for DSG President

Although each candidate gave an impressive presentation, the Duke Democrats support Tara Bansal for DSG President.

Overall, we have faith in all of the candidates to execute the position of DSG President with great success, and would be thrilled to work with any of the qualified candidates. Adair demonstrated an impressive knowledge of the relevant issues affecting student political engagement on campus today. She would be an approachable president who would foster a healthy campus climate. Guarco’s work on issues such as sexual assault and environmental improvements has continued to uphold values which we’d hope extend far into the future of Duke’s campus. However the election may end, we feel DSG will be in capable hands.

Of the three candidates, we feel Bansal is the most prepared to implement her platform and lead DSG to function more effectively. She has a strong track record, including leading the creation of the Visions of Freedom Living and Learning Community, participating in the curriculum review, and organizing the Battle of the Brains debate between the Duke Democrats and Republicans. She has proposed creative solutions that we are confident she can enact based on her numerous past accomplishments. Bansal is, unequivocally, a leader and we are excited to support her on Election Day.

Duke Democrats Endorses Jamal Edwards for Young Trustee

In light of such a consequential decision, Duke Democrats has spent the past week talking to each of the candidates for Young Trustee. After extensive discussions within our organization, we are proud to endorse Jamal Edwards for the position. Edwards shares our commitment to diversity, equity, outreach, and sustainability.

Jamal Edwards has the background, passion and vision to help make Duke University a place where students can feel both challenged and supported. He understands that the position of Young Trustee is not one of advocacy. Rather, he will ensure that he remains informed and accessible to ensure that he understands the perspective Duke undergraduate population to the best of his ability.

His numerous unique experiences provide a deep understanding of the issues we believe are of the greatest urgency: an environment where all voices have the opportunity to be heard, action against sexual assault, and a review of Duke’s curriculum to fit the evolving needs of its student body. We are delighted to place our trust in a candidate with as much experience and personal success as Edwards.

After collaborating on policy with acting Secretary of Education John B. King, serving on the student board of the State Farm Philanthropic Foundation and interacting with powerful alumni through the Dukes and Duchesses program, Edwards has developed a talent for voicing his opinion even among the most influential of colleagues. Because of this capacity, his voice for undergraduates will  resonate with the Board of Trustees.

Duke Democrats would also like to stress the importance of voting during this election. As a student body, each individual has the duty to participate in the governance of the University we call home. Please vote tomorrow!

The Seeds Were Sown in 2010

As of midnight today, the most recent continuing resolution to fund the government ran out, and the government shut down for the first time in 17 years. The Republican Party is refusing to fund the government unless the Affordable Care Act is defunded or delayed. This runs counter to the past five years of government, during which Obamacare was passed by both houses of Congress, signed by President Obama, upheld by the Supreme Court, and then upheld by the American people in the 2012 elections. In other words, we tell the Republicans that elections matter.

What the last three years should teach us, though, is that elections matter–all elections, that is. 2010 was a disastrous midterm election for Democrats, allowing for the rise of the Tea Party, the Republican takeover of the House, and Republican takeovers of state legislatures across the country. The 2010 midterms marked the first time the Republican Party held both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly since Reconstruction. The 2014 election is still over a year away, but with the entire House, one-third of the Senate (including NC Senator Kay Hagan), and the North Carolina General Assembly up for re-election, it’s an election we need to win. We can’t have another 2010.

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