The upcoming 2024 presidential election has generated many opinions, especially amongst the student body of Newtown High School.
As both the Democratic and Republican Primaries are in progress, the selection of candidates for the upcoming election continues to shrink.
Democratic candidates, incumbent President Joe Biden and Dean Phillips remain in the Democratic Primary. Republican candidates, former President Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ryan Binkley remain in the Republican Primary. Independent and third party candidates Robert Kennedy, Cornel West and Jill Stein remain in the running as well.
In the Republican Primary, former President Trump is in the lead with 122 delegates and behind him is Haley with 24 delegates. Republican candidate Binkley currently has no delegates.
In the Democratic Primary, President Biden is leading with 206 delegates. Democratic candidate Phillips has no delegates.
“I’m not particularly thrilled with how old Biden is, but I definitely think he is the better candidate compared to Trump. And if it’s Trump vs Biden, I really think Biden will win against Trump. But if Nikki Haley gets the nomination, which right now I don’t think she will, then I feel like it might be more of a fight,” NHS junior Ella Renak said.
Republican candidate Haley is 52 and Binkley is 56. Democratic candidate Phillips is 55.
Both Biden and Trump, the current leaders in the primaries if elected, would set the record for the oldest US president in history. Trump is 77 and Biden is 81.
This election sets new precedents regarding age.
Some NHS students feel that these ages are too old to be eligible for presidency.
“Presidents should not be allowed to be this old because they have proven that they are no longer in the proper condition to run a country,” NHS sophomore Kayla Sinapi said.
In addition, students feel that younger ages would be beneficial in order to create stronger connections between candidates and voters.
“They need people who are in touch with the rest of society because there are little voters around their age group,” NHS sophomore Madelyn Marcisz said.
Some students don’t like any of the candidates, not only because of their age, but also due to their recent appearance in the news.
“The main candidates are old men who really don't seem to be focused on solving actual issues, and both have been slandered so much that neither seems like a good option,” NHS freshman Jolene Brackett said.
The two front runners in both primaries, Trump and Biden have recently faced backlash over a number of different things.
Former President Trump has a total of 91 felony counts, some of which deal with allegedly overturning the 2020 election.
Some NHS students believe that Trump’s actions should prohibit him from running.
“Trump should not be able to run again. The amount of lawsuits against him and the fact that he is still eligible to run is insane,” NHS sophomore Sophia Martinez said.
Recent Special Counsel report regarding President Biden’s misplacement of classified documents described him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Some students at NHS believe that this makes Biden unfit to be president.
“I think Trump should win because Biden has proved to us that he isn’t exactly in the best mental state and should not be in this position of leadership,” NHS sophomore Kayla Sinapi said.
Students seem to agree on one thing though. This election will be a close one.
“This will be a nail biting election in which all of the candidates seem to have it out for each other. Watching the Republican Primary debates was like watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians, ” NHS senior Madeline Roe said.
Regardless of who ends up winning the presidency, a fair few students believe that the election is crucial either way.
“The results are really important and can affect how our country develops,” NHS sophomore Madelyn Marcisz said.