Students tune in for presidential debate

Bella Lee, Staff writer

On Sept. 29, the first presidential debate was held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

It was originally set to be held at the University of Notre Dame, but the school withdrew as host due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During this debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden discussed topics such as the Supreme Court, how they would deal with the coronavirus pandemic going forward, the economy, race relations in the U.S., violence in cities and the integrity of the election.

The debate was moderated by Chris Wallace, the anchor of “Fox News Sunday.” Considering this was the first presidential debate of this election, it was not one to miss.

“This debate in specific was important not only because it was the first of this election, but also because the candidates are so divided in support,” said sophomore Dance major and member of the College Democrats club, Hannah Dragan. “As the first debate, it served as an opportunity for undecided, curious or even strongly decided individuals to hear about the basic beliefs of each side.”

Despite the bickering between the two candidates that lasted the grand majority of the debate, strong points were still made by both candidates that had members of their parties talking.

“Joe Biden really impressed me with his thoughts on COVID-19,” sophomore Dance major and member of the College Democrats club Maia Cieply, said. “However, I disagree with Joe Biden’s approach to law enforcement. I think that the police need to be defunded, but Biden’s plan only includes reforming the existing system.”

Members of the College Republicans Club also held a watch party during the event.

Needless to say, many Mercyhurst students joined a watch party or watched the debate on their own.

Now more than ever, students, especially first-time voters, should be paying attention to the debates leading up to the election.

“It is incredibly important that people use any opportunity to educate themselves on how this election can finally take us on a road to creating equality for all in our country,” said Dragan. “Remember, we are never just voting for ourselves. This election, we vote for everyone we hold more privilege than. We are voting with BIPOC, disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals, female individuals and people of all religions in mind.”

For anyone who missed the debate or would like to tune into the next one, the first vice-presidential debate will be held Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. EST, and the next presidential debate will be held Oct. 15 at 9 p.m. EST.