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Why are female students voting for Trump?

For many, because he is not Hillary Clinton

By Ceili Doyle, Senior Staff Writer

First-year Julia Mordarski is not ashamed of her political beliefs and the conservative values that she stands for.

She proudly displays her Trump-Pence sticker on the front of her laptop and wholeheartedly supports Donald Trump for president.

Many college-aged women and women of all ages and backgrounds have been criticized for supporting a man who has openly denegrated women and displayed misogynistic attitudes, exemplified in the leaked Access Hollywood video in which Trump said "when you're a star, they let you do it" in reference to groping and kissing women without consent.

However, several women at Miami University continue to support the business mogul despite his controversial remarks throughout the past 18 months of this election cycle.

"I went to an all girls high school back home in Cleveland," Mordarski said. "My entire school made it a running joke whoever was planning to vote for Trump, and I definitely was highly criticized back home, but I have no shame regarding my political beliefs. We need to switch up the government. We can't just be dominated by Democrats for 12 years."

According to a recent article in the New York Times, 93 percent of Republican women voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. Today, 79 percent of Republican women support Trump, which is a significant drop but still a large percentage.

Although some female students are voting for Trump based on his policies and ties to the Republican Party, others are voting for him in opposition to Secretary Hillary Clinton.

"I don't defend the comments that Trump has made, but I believe it's naive to think that people don't talk that way," first year Spencer Ruebel said. "They call it 'locker room talk,' and obviously, as a woman I think that's disgusting, but at the same time: boys talk, girls talk. I've heard women say awful things about men in that way and vice versa. Personally, I'd rather look at policy issues than focus on the things Trump has said that hurts people's feelings."

While Ruebel does not condone the misogynistic attitudes Trump has displayed throughout his campaign, her conservative nature is what will ultimately guide her at the polls despite criticism she faces from her peers.

"I'm more of an anybody but Hillary person, and I'm not going to vote for Gary Johnson who clearly doesn't have a shot," Ruebel said. "I'm a girl, and I'm young which is really weird to be a Republican, but I believe in it, and I'm not going to waver on that."

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For some, the notion that Clinton could be the first female president of the United States does not bring forth a sense of pride or enthusiasm for what would be a historical moment.

"Hillary as our first woman president -- just saying that is not exciting at all," first year Courtney Raysfield said. "Both candidates are not going to uphold the integrity of [the presidency,] but I believe Trump will do a better job than Hillary."

Regardless of who ends up winning the 2016 election, this year in particular has been incredibly polarizing for Democrats and Republicans alike.

"It's very heated, and it's very intense," Mordarski said. "I hate that this is the first election I'm voting in."

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