Students trickled into Chadeayne Dining Room in Peirce Dining Hall on Feb. 6 as the members of Kenyon Democrats discussed ongoing scandals of the Trump administration.  They chatted about Former Director of the FBI Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election and the memo released by David Nunes (R-Calif.), chair of the House Intelligence Committee that accused the FBI of abusing its surveillance authority.

Around 15 students from all class years joined the Kenyon Democrats to discuss Sherrod Brown, John Russell and Ken Harbaugh’s respective campaigns for the midterm elections on Nov. 6.

Representatives from Sherrod Brown and John Russell’s campaigns were invited to attend the meeting but were forced to cancel due to harsh weather conditions.

Sherrod Brown

Brown, the Democratic senator of Ohio since 2007, is running for re-election. According to President of Kenyon Democrats Jessie Gorovitz ’19, Brown is a champion for bipartisanship as he “consistently works with [Republican Senator] Rob Portman to pass legislation,” Gorovitz said. Since Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (R) dropped out of the Senate race, Brown’s main competition from the Republican party is Jim Renacci, from the House of Representatives.

John Russell

Russell is running for Congress to represent Ohio’s 12th district. Russell ran for State Representative in Ohio’s 68th district but lost to Rick Carfagna (R) who secured 67.6 percent of the vote in 2016. Despite his loss, Russell “ran with an exuberance which was almost unheard of,” Jacob Hopkins ’18, the elections coordinator for Kenyon Democrats, said. Russell knocked on more doors in his district than any other candidate in Ohio, according to Hopkins.

Ken Harbaugh

Harbaugh is no stranger to Kenyon’s campus. On Sept. 24, a group of 40 faculty, students and Mount Vernon residents gathered in Professor of Art Claudia Esslinger’s home in Gambier to hear Harbaugh speak about his campaign to win Ohio’s 7th district in the midterm elections against incumbent Bob Gibbs (R).

Sophie Krichevsky ’21 is the communications director for Kenyon Democrats and knocks on doors in Mount Vernon and Apple Valley for Harbaugh’s campaign. Although the election is nine months away, Knox County residents are eager to discuss politics. “A lot of people are just frustrated with Congress in general and a lot of people are frustrated with the lack of bipartisanship,” Krichevsky said.