The SMU Democrats gathered on the first floor of Hughes-Trigg on Thursday to support gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell, Texas District 106 candidate Katy Hubener and U.S. Congressional candidate Will Pryor.
Katy Rowe, a leader in SMU Democrats, organized the event at lunchtime so students could have pizza and soda wile getting a taste for Democratic campaigns.
Topical issues included primary and higher education, health care, stem cell research and environmental concerns. Betsy Parson represented Chris Bell, who is running for Governor against Rick Perry. She promoted his campaign for “A Future Worth Fighting For,” and said Bell is striving to restore ethics to state government. She discussed Bell’s concern for the public education system, health care, and the need for better leadership in government. Parson said Bell is calling for a “revolution” in Government to promote reform and change in Texas politics.
A former congresswoman, Parson spoke about how Bell challenged the ethics of Tom Delay while they were in office together and has proven that he has the stamina and will power to promote a government with integrity.
Katy Hubener is a third time candidate that came close to un-seating the 12-year representative in 2004.
She energetically spoke of her opinion on what needs to be done to make a change for better education, tax cuts and real ethics reforms. “I am a Democrat because I believe government can work for the voice of the people in order to make a change,” said Hubener.Approaching a campaign in a very Republican District, Pryor talked about how he has conducted his campaign by going door to door to encourage voters. Pryor said, “I knew from the beginning that I was going to go door to door. I liked the idea because it is old fashioned and personable.” Pryor’s three main issues were the promotion of stem cell research, his environmental concerns, and education reform.
The students who attended the event were intrigued and posed several questions to the candidates. One student questioned the candidates’ foreign policies concerns and their view of the war in Iraq. The candidates agreed that they were against the war, but remained unsure of the next step to take to stop fighting in Iraq. Pryor’s words of advice to his audience were, “Stay committed, stay involved, and don’t give up.” To learn more about these candidates visit their Web sites at chrisbell.com, katyfortexas.com, and pryor06.com.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
