Tedra Cobb’s campaign on campus for votes came up short, when it was announced that that Rep. Elise Stefanik earned another term as a representative in the House of Representatives. Cobb a democrat ran against the incumbent Stefanik to represent the 21st district in the House of Representatives. Stefanik has represented the primarily republican district since 2015 and won the most recent election by receiving nearly 57% of the votes, with Cobb receiving 41% of the vote.
One of Cobb’s main campaign strategies was focused on SLU’s campus with her making many appearances on campus and even setting up a table in the student center. Students and faculty alike could be seen wearing her pins and stickers in support of her campaign efforts. “She had a much more pronounced image on campus than Stefanik, although many of the students wearing her gear aren’t even registered in the 21st district, I don’t think,” remarked Hunter Hendrix a sophomore at SLU.
St. Lawrence is known a moderately liberal college campus, with students and faculty tending to support the democrat party in elections and on social issues, while the 21st district altogether is primarily republican. President Trump won the 21st district in 2016 by 13.7 %, according to Ballotpedia.com, further showing that the district is primarily republican a difference from the universities in the district.
Stefanik and Cobb focused on the similar issues of agriculture, military and veteran families and the environment, all of which are vital issues to the North Country region in New York State. The 21st district is home to Fort Drum, a multitude of dairy farms and outdoor recreation destinations. These issues will influence a family living in the 21st district but not necessarily a student registered to vote in Westchester County. When asked why Cobb focused on SLU’s campus there was no response.
The failure of Cobb to close the gap on Stefanik in the elections even with the increased presence on campus suggests that their may be a more solid republican presence on campus than previously thought. “It just doesn’t make sense as to why she would campaign so hard to a campus that is largely not registered to vote or from her district,” explained Hendrix who is from Syracuse, part of the 24th district.
SLU’s overwhelmingly democratic presence makes it hard for republicans on campus to feel heard. This could be a factor for why Cobb’s campaign on campus came up short on election day. “I can see why being a republican on this campus could be difficult when democrats have such a strong hold on the campus political scene,” said Hendrix. This possible underlying republican sentiment could be to blame for the failure of her campaign. “I think that is definitely a possibility, seeing that there is a lot of democrats some republicans probably just want to stay under the radar,” said a student who tends to side with republican ideology.
With the district remaining red, and a possible underlying republican sediment on campus leaves the chance for a blue candidate to have to wait until next election to attempt and overthrow Stefanik, as the congressional representative. Congressional representatives serve two-year terms meaning that the next election will not be until 2020.