I think a majority of students can agree anyone is better than Donald Trump in the position to run our nation. That doesn't mean, however, everyone is feeling "the Bern." For the Democratic party there are two very great candidates but there seems to be an overwhelming support for Bernie Sanders when it comes to the Millennial age group. As it turns out, that support really isn't that valuable.
Shocking I know.
Students’ lack of political action on the University of Arizona campus shows that Bernie Sanders’ millennial support may not be enough for a nomination.
While students group together to campaign for Hillary Clinton in a political organization called "Wildcats for Hillary," Bernie Sanders does not have the same amount of active participation from students on campus.
At 74-years-old, Senator Sanders seems to have millennials in the palm of his hands. With a strong media presence and a distinct target to gather votes from ages 18-26, Senator Sanders has become the most popular candidate for the democratic party for young people. With all this momentum it’s shocking to find that within this age group, active campaigning for Sanders is extremely low.
Joseline Mata, founder and president of Young Democrats, said she has used her resources to look for a student-led Bernie Sanders group but has not been able to locate one, instead, she finds older people coming to campus to table on the UA Mall. Mata is also a founder of the "Wildcats for Hillary Clinton" saying “Clinton learned from Obama in 2008 that young people are needed in order to be successful in the primaries, I think her national campaign has made an effort to reach out to young political leaders on campus’ more than Sanders has.”
There are also student-led campaign groups for the Republican party including "Students for Rubio" and "Millennials for Cruz."
Emily Clayton, the treasurer of University of Arizona College Republicans, said “I think that many students get obsessed and drawn into the ‘free stuff’ that democrats offer. Bernie Sanders' proposal for ‘free college’ has gotten many college students attention.” She also mentioned that due to the fact most of Sanders’ supporters are young, they are recently interested in politics and may not know how to lead a political group.
Oumou Keita is a Sanders supporter who has gone off-campus to volunteer with the state chapter of Sanders’ national campaign, Arizona for Bernie Sanders. She said the reason there isn’t a student campaign for Sanders could be because it’s easier to join a crowd of supporters than it is to lead one.
“Sanders isn't guaranteed every millennial vote,” Keita said. “People take it for granted that Sanders is popular amongst young voters. There is an assumption that anyone our age who could be convinced to vote for Sanders already has been because he seems to be the obvious candidate for us.”
According to Keita, Arizona for Bernie Sanders is attempting to start an on-campus, student-run branch. “It will bear the name ‘Progressive’ rather than Bernie Sanders so that the organization will have lasting power after the election.”
This process, however, is still merely in its planning stages.
With so much Millennial support on social media and across the nation, both the actions of his supporters and the recent primaries have proven there may not be much more "Bern feel." It's a good thing however, Bernie's flame is nowhere near to dying.