Last October, we had a debate between Bob Gibbs and Ken Harbaugh during their race for Ohio’s seventh congressional district. After finding out that the two candidates hadn’t scheduled any debates, three clubs on campus—Young Americans for Liberty, College Republicans and College Democrats—co-authored a letter inviting both to engage in a debate at Ashland. Luckily, they both accepted, and I got the chance to be a part of the whole process. During the debate, I was chosen to be the timekeeper since I don’t have a party affiliation, so I had the opportunity to sit between the moderators. I would hold up signs letting the candidates know how much time they had left. The candidates were pretty calm and collected throughout, but the crowd actually got a little heated at points. The whole night was unforgettable. Being a political science major, I’ve been part of local and state races before, but it was great to be at Ashland and have the opportunity to be involved in a national election. It’s an experience that will definitely help me going forward.
