BY: JULIA BEARDSLEY, NEWS STAFF
On Oct. 6, the Jandoli Institute presented an event titled Campaign Conversations: An Election Conversation, featuring campaign experts and open to students and members of the community. The panel included Robert J. McCarthy, Henry Wojtaszek, Conor Amendola and Mary Rose Kubal. Dr. Rich Lee served as the event’s moderator.
Each panelist brought a unique perspective to the discussion, answering questions from audience members based on their personal experiences and knowledge gained throughout their professional careers.
The discussion opened with Lee asking panelists which of the elections taking place on Nov. 3 they were keeping an eye on. Answers ranged from the race for the 23rd Congressional District to the New York governor’s race and the Kansas Senate race.
McCarthy, a former political reporter for The Buffalo News, WKBW-TV political analyst and Bonaventure alumnus, was the first panelist to respond to a student’s question about whether voter turnout would be high in this year’s midterm election.
“The gubernatorial election in New York is always the second highest after the presidential, so you’re going to have a decent turnout no matter what; but we are seeing numbers in the early voting that are astronomical, crazy, outrageous,” said McCarthy. “There is real interest and I think [the voter turnout] is going to be very high.”
Wojtaszek, a political consultant, former congressional candidate and former Niagara County Republican Party chairman, followed up by agreeing that people appear to be very interested in this year’s races.
“I think one reason in New York, of course, is because they moved the local races to the even year; so you have not only statewide races and the federal races, but you also have the local races–I would anticipate a higher turnout this year across the board,” said Wojtaszek. “We are going to see a higher voter turnout, but it looks like the younger voters aren’t as engaged as they were for the presidential or even the last election cycle.”
Conor Amendola was the youngest member of the panel and offered an important perspective as a graduate student working on midterm election coverage for PolitiFact. He also represented the younger generation’s perspective during this election season.
“A lot of the time, we associate elections with your big presidential election…but it’s those local lawmakers who are making changes that are really going to impact your day-to-day life,” said Amendola. “Yes, your federal elections matter, but it’s those local elections– it’s those statewide ones–those are the people that are going to make changes in your state. So, when you see your local taxes go up, that’s a result of who’s running in your local elections.”
The panel addressed numerous student questions about this year’s election, covering topics ranging from campaign strategies candidates should improve to candidates’ positions on AI and data centers. Panelists also discussed the New York gubernatorial debate, which took place on Oct. 13.
Toward the end of the discussion, Amendola reminded audience members of the importance of voting.
“Voting is the biggest thing– I know there’s that connotation that votes don’t matter when it comes to certain races… and I don’t buy that,” said Amendola. “Because by not making a choice, you still decided to make a choice. By [not voting], you kind of put your hands up and say, ‘I don’t care how my government turns out.’”
Kubal, chair of the Department of Political Science, reinforced Amendola’s point.
“I believe that saying you’re not political, is political, and certainly has political consequences,” said Kubal. “Politicians do not listen to the ones who say that are not political. Don’t just vote, contact people’s offices and tell them your story. They need to hear from you.”
Wojtaszek concluded the evening with one final reminder:
“Do your research on your own– go find out. Do your research and come to your own conclusion as to where you want to be on the votes, and vote.”
