The buildup to, and results of the 2024 presidential election elicited various emotions from the student body, following the victory of former President Donald Trump announced in the early hours of Wednesday, Nov. 6. To increase voter turnout among Mercer students, and to spur engagement with the democratic process, events like a mock election and various panels hosted by the political science department were held for students in the weeks before the election. To cap off the election, a watch party was held in the CSC as the first votes were counted.
In the opening minutes of Tuesday’s watch party, hosted by Mercer’s political science department and Mercer Votes, Mercer’s Associate Professor of Political Science, Benjamin Hoyt, asked beforehand that students respect their schoolmates and have patience with the incoming votes.
“Don’t become despondent or ecstatic over a 3% difference in Georgia,” Hoyt said.
Students at the watch party had mixed predictions on both who would win and which candidate should be voted for, but the consensus on both topics seemed to be skewed in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, aligning with the results of the mock election announced the previous Wednesday.
Brenden Kelley ‘27 studies international affairs and global development, and said that he hoped Harris would win.
Kelley said that what swayed him to vote for Harris was his interest in the United States' standing in the world. He was worried that, as "a key player in many international institutions" like the United Nations, the United States would be better led by Harris than by Trump.
Spencer Degonia ‘25, an attendant at the party who studies law and public policy at Mercer, also voted for Harris.
Degonia stated that he was somewhat reluctant to support her because he does not agree with many of her policies surrounding increased tax cuts. These, he said, are poor fiscal policy, but her “predictability” as a politician is what set her apart from the Republican nominee.
“There is a certain quality about him some people feel projects a strong image, but I feel that foreign policy is made irregular and unpredictable around him, whereas a traditional politician might establish a treaty to prevent a war,” Degonia said.
The only student donning a hat in support of Trump in the CSC was Nataniyal Berhanu ‘28. A biochemistry major, Berhanu said that Harris was unfit for the role of president. Berhanu attended Trump’s rally in Macon on Saturday night, which took place just miles from Mercer’s campus.
Berhanu added that he believed Trump was responsible for less national debt than outgoing President Joe Biden.
“During [Trump’s] time as president, the national debt was, like, $20 billion, and I have no idea how it went down in his four years as president, but right now it’s over $35 trillion because of Biden’s administration,” Berhanu said.
According to a report from the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the federal government added $8.4 trillion to the national debt, including $4.8 trillion in non-pandemic related spending. In the final year of his presidency, when the COVID-19 was rampant, his administration added $3.6 trillion to the debt. During Biden's time in office, the federal government added $4.3 trillion, including $2.1 trillion on the American Rescue Plan bill aimed at combating the effects of the pandemic on the economy.
The aftermath
The results of the election were announced by the Associated Press at 5:35 a.m. on Wednesday, evoking mixed responses from the whole of the student body in the days following the election.
Luke Hand ‘28, an SGA member, was not surprised at the election results, thinking it was a “toss-up” between the two candidates, but instead was distraught over the election turnout, saying that he believed that more people should have voted in the election.
“No matter if you are liberal or conservative, I would like for everyone to agree that the voter turnout this election was kind of disappointing,” Hand said.
Another student, Red Mason ‘27, said the potential ramifications of Trump’s next term, specifically Trump’s policies on LGBTQ+ issues, were "frightening."
“I was raised with the belief that America is the greatest nation in the world, a nation where people are free to be themselves,” they said. “However, since the 2016 election cycle, I have watched conservatives demonize queer people and minorities.”
Mason, who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, went on to ask that students consider how harmful the policies of the Trump administration could be to minorities and queer people, and added that they are frightened about the possibility of transgender people losing access to both healthcare and the rights provided under policies such as Title IX.
Gabriel Kopp '26 is majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as co-Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't studying, he enjoys going for runs and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
Jacob Hossler '28 is majoring in Biology with a potential English minor. In his free time he enjoys photography, writing, and playing tennis and soccer.
