Marquette’s very own law school served as a destination for local political enthusiasts twice within 24 hours.
It began Tuesday night with a watch party for the presidential debate between Democratic nominee current Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. The Lubar Center hosted 172 people for the event, dubbed “Debate and Converse,” allowing members of the Marquette and Milwaukee communities to observe a milestone moment in this unprecedented 2024 presidential campaign.
A panel of local state leaders including State Assembly Representative Robyn Vining (D) and State Senator Julian Bradley (R), along with Marquette’s director of undergraduate political science, Dr. Philip Rocco, commented on the presidential debate. Panelists took questions from the audience before and after the debate, and both local representatives spoke about the issues that they wanted the candidates to address.
Senator Bradley was clear in his assessment of issues important to voters: “The economy, economy, economy.”
“The state of Wisconsin has collected far too much of your money, and we’re sitting on it in Madison. Regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on, you should be outraged about the fact that we are sitting on billions of dollars in Madison that is not doing anything,” Bradley said.
Bradley concluded his speech by talking about the importance of the country’s tax code.
“We need to redo our tax code… The more money you have in your pocket, the better you can spend it to address the concerns of your family budget,” Bradley explained.
Representative Vining talked specifically about the proposed Child Tax Credit in the Wisconsin State Legislature. She highlighted how the Harris campaign plans to cut taxes for the middle class and also shed light on the importance of helping those who live paycheck to paycheck afford childcare.
Students also voiced their views and concerns.
“There’s almost been despair about the American Dream, and I want to see how that will be restored for people,” David Wagener, a first-year in the College of Business Administration, said.
“Actually seeing the two [presidential candidates] interact with one another is what is going to show me their true character,” Lexi Childers, a first–year in the College of Arts and Sciences, noted.
About 14 hours after “Debate and Converse,” the Lubar Center hosted an event to commemorate the release of the latest Marquette University Law School Poll survey. Students and community members alike gathered in the same space to learn the results, which were presented by the director of the Marquette Law School Poll Charles Franklin.
This latest survey finds that Harris is supported by 52% of registered voters in the state of Wisconsin, while Trump is supported by 48%. The choice among likely voters in Wisconsin is the same, with 52% saying they would support Harris and 48% saying they would support Trump.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin maintained a similar margin against her Republican opponent Eric Hovde, with 52% of registered voters saying they support Baldwin and 48% saying they support Hovde.
The survey was conducted between August 28 and September 5, during which 822 registered Wisconsin voters were interviewed with a margin of error of +/- 4.6%. 738 of the registered voters surveyed were considered “likely voters”, with their group having a margin of error of +/- 4.7%. According to the Marquette Law School Poll, the results of the poll included “initially undecided voters who were then asked whom they would vote for if they had to choose.”
This story was written by Sahil Gupta. He can be reached at [email protected].
