By Ashley Antonini
NORMAL – Despite cold temperatures and snowy conditions, Democratic candidate for Illinois governor Daniel Biss visited the Illinois State University campus Tuesday afternoon to talk to students about the importance of the upcoming days before the March 20 primary election.
Biss hopes that he’s the Democrat on the ballot for governor and he hopes that younger generations will help him get there. Biss claimed other candidates brush off reaching out to college students due to the assumption that they are apathetic to the voting process. Biss thinks otherwise.
“I think the opposite; I think students have the most at stake and I think that students are most interested in building a better world,” Biss said. “Therefore, it is my responsibility as a candidate for office to be available to young people, to engage with students, to listen to them. I think that by doing that we are going to inspire a lot of people to participate, to help the campaign, vote, and change the state of Illinois.”
Biss added that he wants an economy that works for everyone, especially for current higher education students and soon-to-be graduates.
“Our economy right now is working for a few and not for most and that affects no one like it affects young people. [The economy] affects no one like it affects someone trying to pay tuition, someone coming out of college and into the job market. This election is about taking power back for the rest of us,” Biss said.
President of the ISU College of Democrats Billy Stripeik was one of the many in attendance Tuesday afternoon. Stripeik is in favor of Biss’ candidacy and said that there is power with young voters.
“Daniel Biss’ candidacy is kind of symbolic of trying to get young people to kind of dictate the electorate and actually be a part of governing,” Stripeik said. “A lot of the time we feel like our politics leave us behind and the process doesn’t really stand for us, and he [Biss] is someone who wants to change that.”
After the rally students were encouraged to head to the Bone Student Center to participate in early voting.
Ashley Antonini can be reached at ashley.antonini@cumulus.com.
