Chrys Kefalas, a Republican candidate for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat, said the upcoming primary is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a difference.
Kefalas spoke to a crowd of about 30 students Tuesday at Maryland Hillel. Terps for Israel, which hosted the event, brought him to the University of Maryland campus primarily to speak about the United States’ relations with Israel, but the candidate addressed a number of issues, including the importance of college students being politically active.
“College students need to be engaged,” Kefalas said. “The political process is ours to be involved in. We can’t just allow our lawmakers to determine how our policy should be shaped.”
Michael Krasna, president of Terps for Israel and a junior government and politics major, made it clear the student group does not endorse any candidate running for office. Sam Koralnik, the vice president, said members were interested in hearing Kefalas talk about Israel.
“He was on our radar as one of the people running for Senate,” said Koralnik, a sophomore government and politics major. “We reached out to him just to find a different perspective on the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
While Kefalas has worked with UMD College Republicans, this was his first time at Hillel, Koralnik said.
Kefalas emphasized that American leadership is required when it comes to national security, and he disapproved of what he called the Obama administration’s “hodgepodge” of approaches, which he said ultimately rendered the foreign policy incoherent.
He said he finds the current state of American-Israeli relations “disconcerting,” and whoever becomes president needs to understand that the country’s relationship with Israel has a “strong, true meaning.”
Ezra Allswang, a junior communication major, saw the event as a great opportunity to gain knowledge in light of the heightened political environment.
“You see everything going on now, people outside trying to get your attention to register to vote,” Allswang said. “It’s nice to see students being involved and getting people out to vote and getting people to care about the issues.”
Kefalas said he would like the United States to play a role in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but he stressed that the framework for the negotiations should not come from the United States.
While the purpose of Kefalas’ speech was to address the nation’s relationship with Israel, students had the opportunity to bring up additional topics, including the war on drugs and ISIS, during a question-and-answer session.
Government and politics major Moshe Klein brought up climate change, which Kefalas said was “a health care issue” that has additional economic effects.
“In my view … solutions are going to come through technology and innovation,” Kefalas said.
Kefalas also spoke about the importance of following principles. Kefalas doesn’t have a typical background for a Republican candidate, as he previously worked for Democratic former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He said he liked Holder’s focus on individual liberty and limited government.
While he acknowledged having shared values, Kefalas said, the Senate should also represent a variety of perspectives and people, again relating the importance of college student involvement.
“The United States Senate should be diverse, not just in representation of viewpoints, but in the age demographic of people we represent,” Kefalas said. “All people should have a voice. All communities should be able to make a difference.”
