By Mitch McAndrew
Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, has traded pirouettes for politics to stump for Hillary Clinton in Iowa.
As part of a one-day tour through Iowa on Wednesday, Kwan joined Rep. Dave Loesack, D-Iowa, to tell young voters the election was both an exciting and scary time.
“It’s a very exciting time with 12 days left until the election,” she told a group of young voters gathered upstairs in the Old Capitol Town Center. “But it’s also a nerve-racking, scary time in the political process.”
The two-time Olympic medalist and five-time World Champion evoked the story of her parents, who emigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S., saying President Clinton would work for people such as them.
“They came here with nothing but a seed of hope,” she said. “Deep down, I think that’s why Hillary Clinton is running for president — to keep that hope alive.”
Kwan, who hung up her skates for a political-science degree and a stint working for the U.S. Department of State, also touted Clinton’s experience in government, calling her the “most qualified man or woman ever to run for president.”
Kwan’s stop was one of several events on campuses across Iowa on Wednesday for the Clinton campaign, including Loras College, Grinnell, Newton, and Waukee.
Loebsack, who has voiced his support for Clinton since before the 2016 Democratic primaries, echoed Kwan’s praise for Clinton while urging Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ supporters to fall in line behind the Democratic nominee.
“I love Bernie Sanders; I think he did a great job,” Loebsack said. “But we need all of you.”
He said Clinton’s experience would ensure a smooth transition into the Oval Office, should she be elected.
“She doesn’t even need any on-the-job training. She probably won’t even sleep in on Nov. 9,” he said. “We cannot have an interval at all between Nov. 9 and January where we don’t have enhancement of the economic recovery happening.”
After the speeches, Loebsack led a group of students, volunteers, and press across a rainy University of Iowa campus to the early voting site on the IMU Ground Floor.
Waiting in a line that stretched almost the entire length of the hall, young voters said talk of the election is dominating the conversations with their friends.
UI junior Jena Vonderharr, who will vote for the first time this election, said the convenience of early voting on campus has gotten many of her peers involved.
“A lot of my friends say it makes them more likely to vote, having it right on campus,” she said. “They’re a lot more politically educated now.”
UI senior Katie Hitchcock, who cast her first vote in the 2014 midterm elections, said a greater number of her friends have gotten involved this year.
“More people are volunteering for grass-roots organizations, and grass-roots organizations are also seeking more volunteers,” she said.