The San José State chapter of BridgeUSA held an event on Wednesday discussing the California governor’s race.
BridgeUSA is a non-profit, non-partisan and apolitical student movement that looks to eliminate political division and vouches for respectful and productive dialogue for students discussing political topics, according to bridgeusa.org.
The event held discussion topics such as San José Mayor Matt Mahan’s candidacy, former United States Representative Eric Swalwell dropping out of the race, the possibility of having two Republican nominees after the primary and more.
BridgeSJSU president and fourth-year applied mathematics student Margot Catrini talked about how she saw a different kind of engagement, given that the California governor’s race is a big topic of discussion.
“There was a different level of engagement today since this was a little bit more of a serious topic,” Catrini said. “I was excited to see not just the blanket of agreement, but instead people going back and forth a little bit.”
The event started off with an icebreaker called “spectrum” where the attendees were asked by Catrini to get on their feet and move to one side of the room or the other based on a series of questions.
“I was impressed when people spoke more on things that they didn’t necessarily believe in,” Catrini said. “During the spectrum, we had some people moving around to kind of counter their own point or go against what they traditionally speak out, it forces you to kind of put yourself in the opposition’s shoes.”
Key topics discussed during the activity were California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s overall performance as governor, if low-polling Democrats should drop out of the governor’s race and if Democrats should focus on state policy instead of simply opposing United States President Donald J. Trump.
After the icebreaker, the meeting shifted over to an activity called “middle ground.”
The activity consisted of six chairs in the front of the room in a curved shape, where it was first-come, first-serve to attendees who wanted to share their opinions on the topics shown on the projector.
The topics that were discussed were polling changes after Swalwell’s dropout, what roles finances should play in elections, extra taxes to fund public transit agencies and if American billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer can represent the average Californian.
Spencer Hall, third-year political science student, said Steyer’s candidacy was important for him to discuss during the middle ground activity.
“The dialogue about Tom Steyer’s candidacy is something I have been sort of on the fence about,” Hall said. “I didn’t give it a ton of thought until the development of Swalwell’s.”
Swalwell dropped out of the governor’s race because of multiple sexual misconduct allegations, and was considered a Democratic frontrunner in the polls, according to BBC.
Prachetha Kikkeri, second-year business and finance student, said she’s happy that Swalwell dropped out and commented on what the voting landscape could look like.
“I think it’s good that he dropped out because I think you should be held accountable, no matter who you are,” Kikkeri said. “Some lower candidates from The Democratic Party might get some votes, and I do think some Republican candidates might also get some. I feel like it’s good that he dropped out.”
Swalwell also announced his resignation from Congress because of the allegations, according to an April 14 The Guardian article.
“I have no idea on how it’s going to go,” Hall said. “Maybe Tom Steyer will maintain his lead, but maybe someone like (Xavier) Becerra is going to rise. Only time will tell.”
