In light of the upcoming elections, a Penn student explains why he’s chosen to vote purple this cycle.
Photo Credit: Reagan Reese
By Lucas Richman
Editor’s Note: The Pennsylvania Post is an independent publication and does not endorse any candidates. For more details on the candidates and the upcoming presidential election, please consult your state’s official voting information website or visit Penn Leads the Vote.
On Tuesday, the first election in which I am eligible to vote for the president of the United States, I am voting for Kamala Harris. This decision was easy for me, even as a registered Republican. Donald Trump has hurt Republicans on the ballot in 2018, 2020, and 2022. It is time for the Republican Party to go back to being the party of Reagan—a party that truly loves America and a party that is socially and fiscally conservative. Harris has deep respect for America and sees it as a “shining city upon a hill,” a steep contrast to Donald Trump’s current description of America as a “garbage can for the world.”
While I do not agree with the Biden-Harris administration on a number of issues, I support their initiative on infrastructure and foreign policy. They were able to get a bipartisan infrastructure law through congress. The Inflation Reduction Act ensures America is built for the future. The administration is also supporting our allies Israel and Ukraine in their wars against evil.
Additionally, a Goldman Sachs economic analysis showed that the economy under a Harris administration would be better than under a second Trump administration. Trump’s plan to implement global tariffs would be a disaster for our economy that is already experiencing rapid inflation due to irresponsible spending from the Trump and Biden administrations.
Donald Trump cannot be trusted with the Presidency for another four years. His first four years were four years of failed promises. He failed to deliver on eliminating the national debt, now at $35 trillion. He lost dozens of court cases after his lies about the 2020 Election being rigged. These lies culminated in several people dying and 174 police officers being injured during the insurrection. In order for the Republican party to be the party that supports the police, it must move on from Donald Trump on Tuesday.
I will not be giving my support to Donald Trump, but I believe that a candidate like Dave McCormick, the Republican nominee for Senate in Pennsylvania, can be the future of a strong Republican party.
Pennsylvania has a chance for new representation in the Senate and I believe that it is time for Pennsylvania to move on from the Casey dynasty. The Senate is currently controlled by Democrats and Republicans will likely win it on Tuesday, as the Democrats have a significant number of their seats up for election and polls have them losing or barely winning in most. In order to have checks and balances on a Kamala Harris administration, it is necessary to vote for Dave McCormick on Tuesday.
Dave McCormick has significant experience across both the public and private sectors. He served in the Army and then in the George W Bush administration as the Under Secretary of Treasury and Deputy National Security Advisor. He went on to be the CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds in the world.
Dave ran for the Republican nomination in 2022, but barely lost the party’s support to Dr. Oz. This was a massive mistake by Republicans in Pennsylvania, as Oz was not a strong candidate and lacked experience. McCormick, on the other hand, is well prepared to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate.
It is important to keep the Senate out of the hands of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who told Columbia University leadership to keep their heads down and to ignore the House Education and Workforce Committee’s investigations into the rising antisemitism on their campus. It is clear that Democratic leadership in the Senate does not care about Jewish students on college campuses. A Republican majority in the Senate would allow for a strong pro-Israel voice in the legislative branch.
Consequently, on Tuesday, I believe it is important to vote for Kamala Harris to become the 47th President of the United States and for Dave McCormick to be the next United States Senator for Pennsylvania. Kamala Harris has an opportunist view of America, while Donald Trump repeatedly disparages America. McCormick will help keep checks and balances on a Harris administration thus restoring a strong democracy and an even stronger United States.
Lucas Richman is a junior in the College studying Economics and History from New York, NY. Lucas is a guest writer for The Pennsylvania Post. His email is lucr@sas.upenn.edu.
