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Unconventional presidential candidates garner support on campus, nationwide

By Maggie Callaghan, Senior Staff Writer

Sophomore John Digiacobbe arrives to the table in the Armstrong Student Center, where he sets up all of his brochures and signs, which boldly display the words, "big government sucks!"

Digiacobbe is a member of the student organization Turning Point USA. A national, non-profit political organization, Turning Point USA works to educate college students on the values of fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government. The group hosted a table in Armstrong all week in hopes of attracting students' attention before Super Tuesday.

Today, 11 states around the country will hold primaries for the Republican and Democratic parties. Also known as Super Tuesday, it is considered one of the most important days of the election season.

People around the country will be anxiously watching the poll numbers tonight to see who comes out on top after the primaries. The candidates who gain the most delegates on Super Tuesday are considered to have the best chance at becoming their party's candidate for the general election.

Super Tuesday will be even more important this year because everyone is waiting to see how well Republicans Donald Trump and Ben Carson, as well as Democrat Bernie Sanders, will do in the primaries.

The amount of voter support these candidates have has shocked their respective party establishments. According to Digiacobbe, this is because none of these candidates are "career politicians."

"Trump and Carson, to many, are a breath of fresh air because they are political outsiders who aren't afraid to speak their minds and call out the establishment," said Digiacobbe.

Digiacobbe believes many voters have a sense of distrust and frustration toward the party establishment.

"Many people in the country are fed up with career politicians and Washington elites who consistently lie and do little to actually solve the problems that plague our nation," said Digiacobbe.

According to Steven DeLue, a retired political science professor at Miami, "... the biggest problem is that voters, who were told by their congress people that issues would be resolved, feel betrayed by party elites in Washington." But that's not the case.

"A lot of folks were told by party and government elites that things would be done, and they weren't," said DeLue.

DeLue says that, for many Republicans, one major issue that has not been solved by the party elites is immigration. He says people fear that immigrants are taking their jobs and want to see immigration reform.

Trump has promised to address immigration by building a wall along with Mexican border.

"That is why the language hasn't been reduced, it's what his supporters want to hear," said DeLue.

Trump and Sanders have both run on campaigns that portray them as outsiders to the Washington elites who control the government. Sanders, a Senator from Vermont, has financed his own campaign without any help from Super PACS, which is what led William James to support him.

"The system is run by money already and he is clearly not bought by anybody," said James, president of Miami for Bernie.

For James, money is one of the biggest problems in Washington today because politicians become more worried about lobbyists who are paying them for issues instead of their own constituents.

"It's a long-term problem that affects everything," James said. "We see massive gridlock because of it. Every issue is backed by money and we feel like they don't care about us."

All three students emphasize that voters have to make real change in Washington, by changing the politicians sent there to get things done.

"I hope that the biggest change coming to Washington is sanity," said Digiacobbe. "I want to see pragmatic policies put in place."