Massachutes senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren made several stops in Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 18, including in Northfield.Warren campaigned at the student-only event on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as well as Representative for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District Angie Craig.
Accompanied by Craig and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan, Warren urged those present to vote early and to encourage others to vote.
“What we’ve got to do is not just get ourselves to the polls, we’ve got to get our friends to the polls, and we’ve got to get their friends to the polls,” Warren said.
The event was held outdoors at a local park, with chairs set up to ensure social distancing. Prior to the event, each student was required to fill out a COVID-19 health screening and were asked before entering if they had experienced any symptoms. Masks were required for all those who attended.
Organized by Minnesota Students for Biden Get Out The Vote (GOTV), both St. Olaf and Carleton students attended the event. President of the St. Olaf College Democrats Hannah Liu ’21 introduced the speakers and offered comment to the Messenger regarding Warren’s recent visit.
“We have been working with the DFL Coordinated Campaign for a few months, and last week they hinted that there would be a major speaker coming to Northfield this past weekend,” Liu said.
Each speech lasted 10 to 20 minutes and centered on student engagement with the election process, whether that meant voting early, texting a family member or volunteering at a phone bank.
Warren, Craig and Flanagan’s messages were encouraging and hopeful, encouraging young voters to take part in the democratic process.
“It’s been easy for many of us to feel isolated in this whole process. I think that the rally united us and stirred up energy within the organization and on campus as a whole,” Liu said. “It was amazing to hear from three powerhouses in politics that were also all women.”
As GOTV welcomed students into the event, they encouraged all to take a poster. The poster had a graphic of the late supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) with the word “vote” written across it. GOTV encouraged students to hold the signs, and avoid provoking counter protesters.
The speakers ended by reminding the audience of the stakes of the electiona and Biden/Harris’ vision, citing issues such as healthcare, reproductive rights and climate change.
“I believe that having this vision will not only encourage people to cast their ballots, but also do the more important work of turning the vision into a reality after the election is over,” Liu said.
bermel1@stolaf.edu
