The Skidmore College Democrats
The Skidmore College Democrats is a club that promotes political involvement and social activism in the College鈥檚 community. The club hosts multiple events every semester focused on registering Skidmore students to vote, bringing locally elected officials from both sides of the political aisle to campus, and boosting awareness of politics on a local and national level. Senior Political Science students Jonah LeCompte and Emilia Brueggemann serve as co-presidents of the Skidmore Democrats for the 2024-2025 school year. Together, they have transformed the club into an events-based organization that is accessible for all Skidmore students, not just active club members.
From the Vice-Presidential Debate watch party.
On October 22nd, 2024, the Skidmore Democrats hosted a Candidates Forum at the College鈥檚 Tang Teaching Museum. The attendees included New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner; State Senate candidate Minita Sanghvi, who is also a professor in Skidmore鈥檚 Management and Business department; and one of United States Representative Paul Tonko鈥檚 campaign organizers. The conversation between these three individuals included what it is like to campaign for a political position, the differences between running a local and national campaign, and how funding affects a campaign. LeCompte comments that he loves to bring local politicians to campus because 鈥渓ocal politics are much less about party and so much more about how you connect with people when you are interacting with them face to face.鈥� The Skidmore Democrats also hosted multiple events in the lead up to the 2024 Presidential election, such as watch parties for the Vice-Presidential debate and on election night. With over one hundred attendees, including Skidmore President Marc C. Conner, the election night watch party was a huge success.
Students at the Election Night watch party.
After a fall semester that involved a heavy focus on national politics, LeCompte plans to bring the Skidmore Democrats鈥� primary attention back to local politics next semester. Looking forward to his final semester on campus, LeCompte wants to 鈥渉ost an event where people who serve in public office in the Saratoga Springs area come to Skidmore to talk about what they do and how they contribute to the community. I would love for some elected officials to come, the Saratoga Springs Police Chief, and someone from the Fire Department.鈥�
LeCompte reflects on the importance of the Skidmore Democrats as a club, commenting, 鈥渋t is vital for people to learn how to be civically engaged. Some people come to college and have already voted in elections or have found ways to get involved in politics in their town while others have never even considered being politically engaged. It is easy for people to come from big cities especially and feel like their voice will not be heard. Saratoga Springs is a great place for students to see that if you vote and are outspoken about certain issues, you can actually make a change. Political engagement is a lifelong discipline that people will continue long after they graduate. It is amazing to be part of students finding their voice.鈥�