A tumultuous month in U.S. politics has resulted in a new dynamic on the presidential ticket. The Daily Iowan talked with a few University of Iowa students about their thoughts on the news.
President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the spot, former President Donald Trump survived an attempted assassination, and Harris secured the presumptive nomination for the Democratic party — all within the past three weeks.
The events left many voters with a deluge of political news to shift through.
Biden announced he would step down from his campaign on July 21 after weeks of pressure from high-level Democrats who called on him to step down after a botched debate performance against Trump on June 27.
During the debate, Biden paused and stared at the camera, paused for extended periods mid-sentence, and stumbled over his words.
“I think it was a smart move,” Robert Rycz, a third-year student at the UI and a Democrat, said of Biden dropping out of the race. “I watched the debate with a few friends of mine, and it was just pretty hard to watch at points. So I think that it was the right choice for the [Democratic] party.”
After announcing he would be exiting the race via a post made to X, formerly known as Twitter, Biden announced he tapped Harris to take his spot atop the ticket. Rycz said it was the right choice to tap Harris for the spot due to her experience as vice president.
“I think having served as the vice president, she’s already qualified,” Rcyz said. “I also don’t know if there are any nominees other than her that I would put more faith in.”
Abby Janke, a second-year student at the UI and a Democrat, said while she supported
Biden’s decision to step down, she doesn’t want Kamala Harris to lead the ticket.
“I don’t really want to vote for Kamala Harris — I don’t really like her that much,” Janke said. “I will probably vote for hopefully someone else they put in other
than Kamala Harris.
I just don’t think she has the poll power to beat Trump.”
Just a week and one day before Biden stepped out of the race, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear and only sustained minor injuries.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted days after Trump was shot found that 80 percent of poll respondents are worried about political violence.
“It was pretty scary,” Jacob Eisenberg, a third-year student at the UI who identifies as an independent, said of the
attempt on Trump’s life. “I think it’s a pretty good play on our current political climate. I think it kind of goes to show where we’re at. And it’s awful for something like that to take place.”
Rycz said after the events of Jan. 6, 2021, where several individuals stormed the U.S. Capitol building while the results of the 2020 election were being certified, he does worry about violence.
“I mean, honestly, after the events of January 6 and after the last election, I do worry a little bit about what could come next, regardless of the outcome of this election,” Rycz said. “I think there’s no way that both parties end up happy at the end of the day.”
The Daily Iowan attempted to interview approximately 25 people over a week for this story, but only three agreed to be interviewed.