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SANDERS

Known as a democratic socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) has garnered a lot of attention from college students.

“I’ll be voting for Bernie Sanders,” said Victoria Sullivan, an English literature graduate student. “He supports the people, he supports getting rid of corporate corruption and he really cares about his constituents.”

Sanders is running on a platform of free or reduced tuition, fair immigration and equalizing wealth inequality.

Maylon Ellington, a chemical engineering sophomore, also supports Sanders’ progressive stances.

“You know, there’s not going to be a perfect president, but he’s the best one for what I believe in,” Ellington said.  

Both Ellington and Sullivan said they felt the biggest issue for college students is student loan debt.

“Almost everyone experiences it … it can ruin lives, so I think that’s probably the biggest issue,” Sullivan said.

Ellington said that Sanders’ plans to make college debt-free make him an appealing candidate for college students.

“I know there’s never going to be free tuition, so I don’t expect that, but lowering the costs and giving out scholarships, and using tax income to help pay for scholarships, that’s a big deal,” Ellington said.

KASICH

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been gaining more ground over the past few weeks. Journalism freshman Alex Besten said Kasich’s work in Ohio balancing the state budget made him a good candidate.

“Right now I’m a registered Democrat, but I really like John Kasich of the Republican Party,” Besten said.

Economics and political science sophomore Noah Lewis said Kasich’s performance in the debates made him a strong candidate.

“I think he brings a lot of experience and I like his moderate views on things,” Lewis said. “I think he’s a person who could unite the country.”

Lewis said the federal deficit will be the biggest thing our generation faces, while Besten said student loan interest rates are the biggest issue.

RUBIO

Born into a Cuban-American family, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) has been known for his moderate views on issues. The candidate relates to a variety of people in the Republican Party because of his ability to take a middle stance on some issues.

“I like that he’s from Cuba and he has that family story, so he’s like the true epitome of the American dream,” elementary education freshman Catherine Stuckert said. “Even though he has a lot of Republican ideals, he’s a good medium between the left wing and the right wing to connect this country.”

Stuckert also said the rising cost of tuition is the biggest challenge facing college students.

CLINTON

In her second attempt at the presidency, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is running on a platform to stopping sexual assault on college campuses, creating clean energy and reforming the economy.

Elementary education freshman Lexus McCormick said she supported Clinton because of her moderate approach to politics.

“I think I’m going to vote for Hillary because I think that Bernie isn’t going to be able to accomplish all that he says he is going to in office,” McCormick said.

McCormick said she thought college student’s failure to get to the polls and vote was the biggest issue facing college students.

TRUMP

As one of the Republican Party’s newest and most controversial candidates, Donald Trump has created a massive following throughout the nation.

Community and leadership development sophomore Bethany Loven said she would support any Republican candidate, but she thought Trump had a better chance of winning the Republican nomination.

“He knows how to run a business, so I feel like he would be good at running a country from an economic standpoint,” Loven said.

According to Loven, the nations biggest issues were the economy and immigration.