UMD students debate for the Democratic presidential candidates

Aaron Gladstone, supporting Hillary Clinton, speaks at a mock presidential debate hosted by Maryland Discourse on Thursday in Tydings Hall.

University of Maryland students discussed why they support each of the Democratic presidential candidates in a mock debate Thursday night.

About 100 students attended “The Dem Rumble: A Student Democratic Debate” in Tydings Hall, where two-student teams argued in support of candidates Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders. Each team gave an opening statement before taking questions from a debate moderator and students in the audience about working with Republicans, criminal justice, gun control, ISIS and what sets their candidate apart.

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Maryland Discourse, a nonpartisan student group that formed this fall to create a more politically aware and engaged campus, hosted the debate. Maryland Discourse CEO Christian Knapp said he thinks it is important to bring students together to foster the exchange of ideas.

“We just want to give power to a lot of the student groups that have been really active on this campus,” the sophomore economics and government and politics major said. “It’s really important that we bring them under one roof to have these exchanges. I think in college there’s a lot of activism but there’s not necessarily a lot of engagement or exchanges of ideas, and I think this is a nice way to see that.”

The Center for American Politics and Citizenship co-sponsored the event.

In her opening statement in support of Sanders, Roxy Young, a sophomore communication major, said the Vermont senator is the best candidate for president because of his consistency, his support of getting money out of politics and his belief in democratic socialism.

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Sanders “continuously rallies in support of the middle class” and has forward-thinking progressive policies that will resonate with millennials and other Americans, Young said.

While some question whether Sanders is too liberal to enact policy and work with the other side, junior government and politics and theatre major Christopher Walkup said the candidate is fostering a “political revolution” across the country.

Arguing for O’Malley, UMD College Democrats President Jake Polce emphasized O’Malley’s 15 years of executive experience as mayor of Baltimore and governor of this state. As governor, O’Malley enacted comprehensive gun safety legislation, raised the minimum wage, froze tuition and signed the state’s same-sex marriage law, Polce said.

“While all the candidates here tonight might share the same progressive values, not all of them have actually gotten things done,” the sophomore government and politics major said. “That’s why Martin O’Malley is the best choice for president.”

Suhayla Ahmed said Clinton is policy-oriented, pragmatic and experienced and will work toward justice for every American. The other candidates’ stances are too liberal to be instituted into policies, Ahmed said.

Ahmed, a junior finance and government and politics major, and her partner, Aaron Gladstone, also stressed Clinton’s experience as a lawyer, legislator and Secretary of State.

“We feel that the experience she brings will help her lead this country to the right path to bring this country on the right path,” said Gladstone, a sophomore government and politics and history major. “People know what she stands for, and people know that when she wants to get something done, it will get done.”

Teams made one-minute opening statements and were given 45 seconds to answer questions. Students could also make 30-second rebuttals if they were mentioned or attacked in another team’s answer.

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Sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Sam Sabol said she is a Republican but thinks it is important to realize where others’ opinions come from. While she said she didn’t agree with all of the candidates, she said she liked that the teams discussed climate change, ISIS, gun control and police brutality.

Sabol wasn’t sure who won the debate but said Walkup of Team Sanders performed the best.

Michelle Sauer, a sophomore English and education major, said she considers herself a Democrat but has not decided whom she will be voting for in the upcoming election. Not a native of this state, Sauer said it was interesting to learn about O’Malley’s work with raising the minimum wage, banning the death penalty, passing the state’s DREAM Act and fighting for marriage equality, as those issues are important to her.

“Even though the crowd was really feeling Bernie … I really was feeling O’Malley tonight, which is surprising because I’ve always considered myself a Hillary girl, kind of,” she said. “I think [the team for O’Malley] made the most concrete points, so I would give the debate to him.”

Maryland’s primary elections will take place on April 26.