Students react to December's RNC debate on UAlabama campus

The latest Republican debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa had over 7,000 student ticket requests for a total capacity of 1,000 as anticipation for the 2024 presidential election grows.

Alabama hosted the fourth Republican presidential primary debate at Moody Music Hall on Dec. 6, as part of the GOP’s efforts to boost its standing among young voters.

Campus Reform spoke with students from both sides of the aisle who were in attendance to gain their perspectives on the candidates and event as a whole.

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Alabama student Brooke Damerell, who said she doesn’t generally align with Republicans, noted that Nikki Haley might have gained some more respect from liberals after her night on the debate stage.

“The composure she was able to hold is something really refreshing and something I think that we’ve been missing in politics recently is just that level of restraint and composure,” she said. “I think that that is a reflection of what I’m looking for more so in politicians than the performing for cameras.”

Campus atmosphere was something that captivated the media and Americans across the country. Campus Reform also spoke with Alabama student Hannah Adams who discussed the increased “buzz” around campus surrounding the debate, both inside and outside of the classroom. 

“I spoke with a lot of friends who might not be political science majors … who were still like, ‘I want to find a way to go to the debate,’ and even people who might not necessarily be Republican or conservative, they were so interested in attending just for the sake of democracy and learning more about the presidential election,” she remarked.

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With both liberal and conservative students in attendance, there were naturally diverse perspectives on issues brought up during the debate, including anti-Semitism on college campuses.

“I wish that we could see a little bit more support for our Palestinian students as well during this time,” Damerell said to Campus Reform.

On the other hand, Adams expressed her disgust over the anti-Semetic behavior being brought against the Jewish community. “It’s heartbreaking to me. I mean, some of my family members have Jewish heritage, and some of my friends are part of that religious community, and so we need to make sure that everyone is being respected and nobody’s being hurt by what’s going on,” she said.

Alabama undergrad Anthony Romano also spoke with Campus Reform, revealing his enthusiasm after attending the event on his college’s campus. 

“I think it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity because not many schools can say you have the opportunity to host any form of presidential debates, so being able to have it at the University of Alabama was definitely a treat that I was not expecting when I first stepped foot on campus,” he stated.

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