Democrats highlighted their priorities and goals at the Democratic National Convention, which ended Thursday with Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s official presidential nominee.
In July, the Republican party declared former President Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt just two days prior, as the GOP candidate during the party’s National Convention. Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were also named vice presidential candidates at the RNC and DNC, respectively.
Brian Peña, University Democrats president, said he believes UT students’ top issues — including abortion access, climate change and gun control — stem from the “corrupt state legislature.” Peña and several other organization members attended the DNC as Texas delegates.
“This week has been a lot about talking about what students want,” Peña said. “That’s not to mention the fact that climate change, gun control (and) restoring access to abortion are some of the largest tenants of the Democratic Party for the last 60 (to) 70 years.”
At the RNC, Republicans affirmed their support for restricting abortion access and opposition to gun reform. The party designated climate change as a non-priority, with Trump promising to rescind the Biden administration’s efforts to combat climate change.
The GOP previously took a more extreme stance against abortion, but removed a national abortion ban from their platform for the first time in 40 years, according to Axios. Additionally, the Trump campaign has attempted to distance itself from the 2025 Presidential Transition Project or Project 2025, a controversial prospective plan for a conservative presidency.
The Democratic Party’s official party platform states support for “safe and legal abortions” and other reproductive health care services. Nationwide support for abortion access is at an all-time high, with 63% of Americans saying it should be legal in all or most cases, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
The economy is the highest-concern issue to 18 to 29-year-olds, the demographic including most college students, according to a June poll by the Texas Politics Project. Of that demographic, 24% believe candidates should be talking about it in their 2024 presidential campaigns, and 13% believe candidates should address inflation.
Andrew McKiernan, president of UT’s chapter of the nonprofit organization Turning Point USA, said the Republican Party is addressing economic issues and rising prices better than the Democratic Party. McKiernan said Turning Point USA is nonpartisan but generally subscribes to “pro-free market, pro-limited government and pro-America” ideas.
“Housing prices within probably around the last five years-ish, have gotten very high,” said McKiernan, a government junior. “I think a lot of college age voters would like to buy a home within the next couple of years when we graduate, get our jobs.”
In his speech at the RNC, Trump promised to end inflation, secure the border and address immigration. Trump said during his acceptance speech “jobs will come roaring back” under his economic-relief plans, which include tax cuts for workers.
The official Democratic Party platform condemns the Trump Administration’s immigration strategy for its “dehumanization of immigrants” and commits to expanding the asylum system and protections for Dreamers and parents of American citizen children.
Peña said leaders should take it upon themselves to look at these key issues that young voters care about.
“(Students are looking to) not necessarily themselves for solutions (but) looking to our leaders and trying to ask themselves,” Peña said.
