Vice presidential candidates Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Governor Mike Pence (R-IN) squared off in the first and only Vice-Presidential Debate Tuesday night. ASUP hosted a watch party in the Pilot House that was not nearly as well attended as VoteUP’s Presidential Debate viewing party last week.
While nearly 200 students packed the Pilot House for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s debate last Monday, only about 100 students — a normal dinnertime rush — trickled in and out of the Pilot House Tuesday night, with only about 30 students steadily watching the debate that played out on the big screens.
Democratic VP hopeful Kaine and republican Pence opened the debate by quickly attacking the opposing side’s presidential candidate. Much of the 90 minute debate, moderated by Elaine Quijano of CBS News, focused on Trump and Clinton’s proposed policies and character.
Kaine pointed out and attacked Trump’s alleged support of Russia, his inability to release his tax returns, his foreign policy credentials and his continuous comments attacking women, African-Americans, Muslims and Mexicans.
“The thought of Donald Trump as Commander-in-Chief scares us to death,” Kaine said.
Pence criticized Clinton’s refugee policies and her use of a private email server.
“If your son or my son handled classified information the way Hillary Clinton did, they’d be court-martialed,” Pence said.
Many students watching the debate reported that they didn’t know the candidates very well. And even more students in the Pilot House were unaware that there was a debate at all.
“I’m watching this because I don’t know these candidates very well,” sophomore Ian Hannah said. “They’ve been really overshadowed by the presidential candidates. I want to know who’s going to be second in charge.”
When asked if this debate will affect Hannah’s voting decision, he laughed and said, “No. Maybe in a different election it would, but this won’t affect my decision.”
Others also shared Hannah’s view that the vice presidential candidates’ views won’t affect decisions on voting day.
“Not many people were talking about the debate,” sophomore Norma Gowans said. “I don’t know anything about these candidates. At this point, I don’t think what they say will affect the way I vote. It’s sad because I don’t consider them as much as I do the presidential candidates. Which I should. I just assume their beliefs are just the same as the presidential candidate’s beliefs, but I should probably be more informed.”
This viewing event included an opportunity to register to vote. Angela Hudson, ASUP’s Director of Finance and a worker at the voting registration booth, said not many people registered to vote at this event, but they had been getting a great registration turn out overall.
“Our goal is to get 800 people registered,” Hudson said. “We haven’t quite gotten there yet. I think overall, with what we’ve expected, it’s been going really well. It’s such a unique election, and (ASUP) feels like it’s our responsibility to bring this to the students, so we partnered with VoteUP to help with all the events in any way we can, and to encourage registration.”
