For College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn, knocking on doors for Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania this weekend is more than just his duty as a citizen.
“This is a critical election,” Wojahn said. “It’s a little bit of a cliché to say this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime, but you really need to look at our candidates and see some of the things that have been said to realize what’s at stake here.”
The Mayor posted to Facebook on Sept. 19 and Oct. 2 saying he would be campaigning for Clinton this weekend, asking his friends “who wants to join?”
While some may not understand why the mayor of College Park would be campaigning in Pennsylvania, Wojahn said it is important to help out the Clinton campaign in states that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could win.
“I’ve seen news reports and speculation if Donald Trump would win, it would be by taking the Rust Belt states,” he said.
The Rust Belt refers to states in the northeast region of the country that used to be home to some of the largest industrial producers in the country.
Clinton’s platform on college affordability could also be beneficial for College Park, Wojahn added.
“Helping out students is one great example that Secretary Clinton has made a commitment to,” he said.
In contrast, Trump’s plan to give tax breaks to the wealthy “would create a tax deficit and could put a tremendous burden on future generations,” including university students, Wojahn added.
District 2 Councilman Monroe Dennis called Wojahn a “very active and supportive mayor,” but added that he believes Wojahn is going to Pennsylvania more on his own merit than as a representative of the city.
“This is the time when we all as citizens should understand that we need to go out and cast our ballots for whoever we think will be the next president,” Dennis said. “If we feel that there are some things about one or the other candidate that we favor we should certainly go out and cast our ballots to make sure our voices are heard.”
The fact that Wojahn is campaigning for Clinton is not surprising, said Chris Keosian, director of the SGA’s Committee on City Affairs.
“I don’t think it’s particularly uncommon for elected officials to campaign for other members of their party in close elections,” said Keosian.
Keosian, a junior government and politics major, couldn’t comment further on the impacts of Wojahn’s campaigning, as the SGA is politically neutral.
The Hillary Clinton Campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
